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

Word bank: snap · net · kid · rock · stand · clip · face · root

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. clip — a video
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. root — the cause
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. root — of a word
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. net — after costs
  12. stand — to bear
  13. kid — to tease
  14. rock — a stone
  15. face — to confront
  16. rock — music
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. root — of a plant
  20. clip — to cut
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to click
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. clip — for paper

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