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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: chest · cap · stand · root · staff · ball · clip · wake

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cap — a lid
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cap — of ice
  5. staff — a stick
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. clip — to cut
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. root — of a word
  11. ball — a dance
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. chest — a box
  16. root — the cause
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stand — to bear
  24. chest — of your body

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