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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 120 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 · mate · stand · bound · sharp · root · row · rash

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mate — a friend
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a word
  8. bound — certain
  9. root — of a plant
  10. row — to paddle
  11. clip — to cut
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mate — a partner
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. clip — a video
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. clip — for paper
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mate — to breed
  24. stand — to bear

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