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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: band · suit · can · clip · pitcher · season · lean · root

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. suit — clothes
  3. band — a music group
  4. root — the cause
  5. clip — a video
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — to fit
  8. lean — thin
  9. can — a tin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. season — in sport
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — of a word
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. clip — for paper
  23. season — of the year
  24. band — a ring

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