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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 120 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: rock · clip · land · deal · root · hide · safe · bat

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. rock — a stone
  3. land — ground
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. clip — a video
  6. root — the cause
  7. land — a country
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. clip — to cut
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rock — music
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. clip — for paper
  19. land — to come down
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — of a word

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