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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · lie · pop · coach · hide · clip · kid · root

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. root — of a plant
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. clip — to cut
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. root — the cause
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. clip — a video
  14. pop — to visit
  15. clip — for paper
  16. kid — child
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pop — soda
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. root — of a word
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pop — music
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. hide — to keep secret

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