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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. spring — the season
  3. craft — a skill
  4. spring — a coil
  5. craft — boats
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bank — for money
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. date — the fruit
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bank — of a river
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — a thing
  15. clip — a video
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bank — for money
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. spring — of water
  21. object — an aim
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wax — to grow

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