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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. clip — to cut
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — finally
  10. object — an aim
  11. clip — a video
  12. lean — to bend
  13. object — a thing
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. rest — what's left
  17. last — final
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — thin
  20. rest — a break
  21. hand — help
  22. object — to protest
  23. last — to go on
  24. bark — to shout

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