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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wind — moving air
  5. clip — for paper
  6. press — newspapers
  7. clip — a video
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. clip — to cut
  11. press — to push
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. press — a publisher
  16. wind — moving air
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car

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