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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: game · rash · rest · toast · perch · press · root · clip

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. clip — to cut
  3. root — of a word
  4. clip — for paper
  5. game — wild animals
  6. toast — bread
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. press — to push
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. press — newspapers
  15. root — of a plant
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. clip — a video
  18. game — a match
  19. rash — a series
  20. rest — a break
  21. perch — the fish
  22. root — the cause
  23. rest — what's left
  24. perch — for a bird

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