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

Word bank: mate · tear · root · kid · press · trunk · toast · clip

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tear — from crying
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. clip — for paper
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. tear — to rip
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. mate — a friend
  14. toast — bread
  15. mate — a partner
  16. kid — to tease
  17. root — the cause
  18. mate — to breed
  19. press — a publisher
  20. tear — from crying
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. press — to push

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