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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: rest · leaves · clip · bore · wake · root · cap · mug

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rest — a break
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cap — of ice
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — the cause
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bore — to drill
  10. clip — a video
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mug — a face
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rest — what's left
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. mug — to rob
  24. root — of a plant

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