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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. fine — all right
  2. perch — the fish
  3. craft — boats
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bore — to tire
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fine — high quality
  10. branch — a division
  11. clip — a video
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. clip — to cut
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. craft — a skill
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. branch — of a tree
  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