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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.

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: clip · rock · cabinet · land · track · root · pitcher · plane

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. root — the cause
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rock — music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. land — a country
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. land — to come down
  13. rock — a stone
  14. clip — to cut
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. land — ground
  20. track — a song
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. root — of a word
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. clip — a video

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