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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
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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: root · hide · tube · mark · clip · fine · land · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. tube — the underground
  3. land — ground
  4. fine — all right
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mark — a grade
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mark — a trace
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. staff — employees
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fine — high quality
  13. root — the cause
  14. tube — a container
  15. root — of a plant
  16. clip — to cut
  17. land — a country
  18. clip — a video
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. land — to come down
  21. root — of a word
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. staff — employees
  24. clip — for paper

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