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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: ball · coach · scale · shower · lie · clip · pass · root

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. clip — to cut
  3. root — of a plant
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. root — of a word
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. shower — to wash
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. clip — for paper
  13. root — the cause
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. ball — a great time
  19. clip — a video
  20. lie — to recline
  21. scale — size or range
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pass — a permit
  24. shower — rain

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