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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · craft · mine · chip · field · jam · root · fine

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. fine — all right
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. field — a subject
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. chip — to eat
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. craft — a skill
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. chip — for betting
  17. field — farmland
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mine — for digging
  20. clip — a video
  21. root — of a plant
  22. clip — to cut
  23. craft — boats
  24. field — for sport

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