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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: clip · face · object · race · march · root · wave · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. face — to confront
  4. clip — a video
  5. toast — bread
  6. march — the month
  7. object — an aim
  8. root — of a plant
  9. clip — to cut
  10. march — the month
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. root — of a word
  15. march — music
  16. object — to protest
  17. root — the cause
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. race — humankind
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. face — part of the head
  23. clip — for paper
  24. object — a thing

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