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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. present — there
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. present — the time now
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. last — to go on
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bark — to shout
  16. clip — for paper
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. clip — a video
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. present — a gift
  22. fork — in a road
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pitcher — a jug

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