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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: straw · lean · root · spell · temple · net · chest · clip

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. chest — a box
  7. root — of a word
  8. net — for catching
  9. clip — for paper
  10. chest — of your body
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. net — after costs
  13. lean — to bend
  14. spell — magic
  15. net — in sport
  16. lean — thin
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. root — of a plant
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. straw — dry grass

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