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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: last · pass · root · pound · stick · pit · wind · clip

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. root — of a plant
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. clip — a video
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. last — to go on
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pit — a hole
  18. last — final
  19. wind — moving air
  20. root — of a word
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pit — in a race
  23. last — finally
  24. root — the cause

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