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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: clip · rash · kid · can · staff · root · branch · sharp

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. rash — hasty
  3. staff — a stick
  4. root — of a word
  5. kid — child
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. staff — employees
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. can — a tin
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. can — a tin
  14. staff — employees
  15. can — to be able to
  16. rash — a series
  17. branch — a division
  18. root — the cause
  19. clip — for paper
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. root — of a plant
  24. clip — to cut

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