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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: clip · ground · ball · bay · fine · root · bear · rest

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. clip — for paper
  3. root — of a plant
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rest — a break
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. fine — high quality
  9. ground — crushed
  10. root — the cause
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ball — a great time
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ground — a position
  17. clip — a video
  18. root — of a word
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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