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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: roll · chest · rock · club · bear · board · clip · root

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bear — the animal
  4. roll — a list
  5. bear — the animal
  6. board — to get on
  7. root — the cause
  8. club — a group
  9. root — of a word
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. board — a committee
  17. roll — a cake
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. club — for golf
  21. chest — a box
  22. club — for dancing
  23. root — of a plant
  24. chest — of your body

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