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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: pitch · sharp · root · staff · bark · clip · fan · pass

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. sharp — with an edge
  2. root — of a word
  3. pitch — completely
  4. staff — employees
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bark — to shout
  16. staff — employees
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. root — the cause
  20. staff — a stick
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — a video
  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