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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 · content · root · pound · hand · clip · fine · stick

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. root — of a word
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. hand — in cards
  6. content — the amount
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. clip — a video
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. root — of a plant
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. root — the cause
  14. fine — all right
  15. content — happy
  16. fine — high quality
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. hand — help
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pound — a weight
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. clip — to cut
  24. fine — a penalty

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