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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: pit · charge · date · season · root · clip · wound · spring

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pit — a hole
  3. clip — to cut
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. spring — of water
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. root — the cause
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. season — of the year
  11. pit — in a race
  12. charge — electricity
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. charge — a price
  16. date — the fruit
  17. wound — an injury
  18. clip — a video
  19. charge — in control
  20. wound — an injury
  21. root — of a word
  22. spring — a coil
  23. season — in sport
  24. spring — the season

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