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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: root · bay · degree · drill · tube · wave · arm · clip

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. degree — temperature
  12. root — the cause
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. degree — from a university
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. root — of a word
  18. degree — an amount
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. drill — army training
  22. root — of a plant
  23. clip — to cut
  24. arm — a part of something

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