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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pound — a weight
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. craft — boats
  12. mine — for digging
  13. clip — a video
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. clip — for paper
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mine — belonging to me

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