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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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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: cold · rash · rest · sharp · clip · safe · mouse · root

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cold — not warm
  3. rest — what's left
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rash — hasty
  9. root — of a plant
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rash — a series
  14. clip — for paper
  15. root — the cause
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rest — what's left
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. root — of a word
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. rest — a break

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