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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. drill — a practice
  6. clip — a video
  7. craft — boats
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. craft — a skill
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bound — obliged
  14. dip — to sink
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bound — certain
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. drill — army training
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. nail — for a hammer

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