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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 · tube · season · mouse · root · staff · ground · lash

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. root — of a plant
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. season — in sport
  6. tube — a container
  7. ground — crushed
  8. tube — the underground
  9. staff — a stick
  10. clip — a video
  11. ground — a position
  12. clip — to cut
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. root — the cause
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. staff — employees
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. staff — employees
  20. root — of a word
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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