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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 116 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 · pop · sharp · lie · shower · spell · root · kid

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. spell — a short time
  3. root — the cause
  4. pop — soda
  5. kid — child
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spell — letters
  8. pop — to visit
  9. root — of a word
  10. clip — to cut
  11. kid — to tease
  12. clip — a video
  13. shower — to wash
  14. spell — magic
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. shower — rain
  18. lie — to recline
  19. root — of a plant
  20. clip — for paper
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pop — music
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. sharp — clever

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