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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. can — a tin
  3. saw — the tool
  4. perch — the fish
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. can — to be able to
  8. object — an aim
  9. clip — a video
  10. can — a tin
  11. pop — to visit
  12. game — wild animals
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. object — a thing
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. object — to protest
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. branch — a division
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. game — a match
  23. saw — the tool
  24. clip — for paper

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