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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 120 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: last · race · clip · hide · root · deal · perch · board

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. clip — a video
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. race — a contest
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. board — to get on
  9. root — of a word
  10. board — a committee
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. deal — to handle
  15. root — the cause
  16. last — to go on
  17. race — the arms race
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. race — humankind
  20. perch — the fish
  21. last — finally
  22. clip — for paper
  23. last — final
  24. clip — to cut

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