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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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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: season · clip · face · ruler · root · chair · nail · bank

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. season — of the year
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. root — of a word
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bank — of a river
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. face — part of the head
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. root — the cause
  17. chair — a leader
  18. face — to confront
  19. season — in sport
  20. clip — a video
  21. face — to point toward
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. root — of a plant

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