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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: root · clip · ball · bear · hide · bass · content · mate

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mate — to breed
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bass — the fish
  5. clip — a video
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. content — the amount
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bear — the animal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. root — the cause
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bass — low music
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. content — happy
  21. ball — a dance
  22. root — of a word
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. mate — a partner

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