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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: temple · chest · dip · wave · root · clip · march · bat

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. root — of a word
  3. clip — a video
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a plant
  6. chest — a box
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. march — the month
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. march — the month
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. chest — of your body
  13. march — music
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. chest — of your body
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bat — the animal

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