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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: stick · root · pit · patient · squash · cold · lash · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cold — an illness
  3. root — of a plant
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. root — the cause
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pit — a hole
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pit — in a race
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. squash — the sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. root — of a word
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cold — not warm
  24. squash — to crush

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