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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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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. mate — a friend
  6. clip — a video
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. band — a ring
  9. stock — shares
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mate — to breed
  14. stock — goods
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mate — a partner

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