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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: root · suit · wave · straw · clip · content · face · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. face — to point toward
  4. suit — in cards
  5. face — part of the head
  6. root — the cause
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cap — a lid
  11. content — happy
  12. clip — to cut
  13. face — to confront
  14. content — the amount
  15. suit — to fit
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. suit — clothes
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. root — of a word
  24. cap — of ice

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