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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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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: wound · hand · sharp · tube · ruler · root · clip · spell

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. root — the cause
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tube — a container
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. clip — to cut
  10. hand — in cards
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. spell — a short time
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. spell — magic
  17. wound — an injury
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. clip — a video
  20. spell — letters
  21. tube — the underground
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. sharp — clever

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