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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bear — the animal
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chip — to eat
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. swing — to play on
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. chip — for betting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. swing — music
  21. root — the cause
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com