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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 quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bore — to drill
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. clip — for paper
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. tube — the underground
  13. mark — a grade
  14. can — a tin
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. clip — a video
  22. can — to be able to
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. can — a tin

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