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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: clip · mate · fan · bark · staff · root · roll · cap

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. clip — to cut
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bark — to shout
  6. roll — a cake
  7. staff — a stick
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. clip — for paper
  11. root — the cause
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. clip — a video
  22. root — of a word
  23. roll — a list
  24. staff — employees

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