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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: clip · saw · land · date · root · rest · rash · kick

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a plant
  4. land — ground
  5. saw — the tool
  6. clip — a video
  7. rash — hasty
  8. clip — for paper
  9. land — a country
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rest — a break
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. root — of a word
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. clip — to cut
  19. date — the fruit
  20. land — to come down
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. kick — in football

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