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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: can · clip · rush · date · root · foot · net · wound

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. root — of a word
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. foot — a measure
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wound — an injury
  18. root — of a plant
  19. net — in sport
  20. date — the fruit
  21. can — to be able to
  22. root — the cause
  23. wound — an injury
  24. can — a tin

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