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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · rock · season · clip · root · spring · ruler · swing

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. file — a tool
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. swing — in golf
  5. season — in sport
  6. root — the cause
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — music
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. clip — for paper
  12. spring — the season
  13. file — a line of people
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rock — a stone
  16. spring — a coil
  17. file — a document
  18. season — of the year
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. clip — to cut
  21. swing — music
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. spring — of water
  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