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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bore · toast · net · bass · hide · root · season

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bore — to drill
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. season — of the year
  9. bass — the fish
  10. clip — a video
  11. root — the cause
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — for catching
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bore — to tire
  16. root — of a word
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bass — low music
  20. season — in sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. net — in sport

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