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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: root · march · file · hide · clip · land · bay · toast

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. land — a country
  3. root — of a word
  4. clip — to cut
  5. file — a document
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. file — a line of people
  8. toast — bread
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. march — the month
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. march — the month
  15. file — a tool
  16. land — ground
  17. clip — a video
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. march — music
  21. land — to come down
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. clip — for paper
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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