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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 120 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: spring · root · pit · safe · clip · wound · craft · wind

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. root — the cause
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wind — moving air
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. craft — a skill
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. craft — boats
  13. wind — moving air
  14. root — of a word
  15. spring — the season
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pit — in a race
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pit — a hole
  21. spring — of water
  22. root — of a plant
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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