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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: root · swing · ball · wave · perch · cap · clip · hide

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. ball — a great time
  3. root — the cause
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. swing — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. root — of a plant
  9. swing — to play on
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. perch — the fish
  12. clip — for paper
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. clip — a video
  19. cap — a lid
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. root — of a word
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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