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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. chair — a leader
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pound — a weight
  14. firm — decided
  15. saw — the tool
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — steady
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bear — the animal

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