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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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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: bore · scale · clip · hand · root · deal · bowl · mug

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mug — to rob
  4. root — of a word
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. mug — a face
  7. bore — to drill
  8. root — the cause
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. root — of a plant
  14. mug — a cup
  15. clip — a video
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. deal — to handle
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bore — to tire
  21. clip — for paper
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bore — gave birth

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