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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. tube — a container
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — a cup
  20. sharp — clever
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bore — to tire

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