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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: root · rule · bore · clip · fan · cold · scale · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bore — to drill
  4. rule — government
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cold — not warm
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. scale — in music
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. root — the cause
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. root — of a word
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rule — a law
  24. fan — to cool the air

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