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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.

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: chest · root · fine · clip · mouse · pass · mine · ball

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. root — the cause
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. chest — of your body
  11. root — of a word
  12. mine — for digging
  13. chest — a box
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. fine — high quality
  19. pass — a permit
  20. clip — a video
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — a penalty

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