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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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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: safe · pound · chest · hide · clip · foot · present · root

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chest — of your body
  8. root — of a plant
  9. present — there
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. chest — a box
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. clip — a video
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. clip — to cut
  18. chest — of your body
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. present — the time now
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — a measure

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