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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fork — in a road
  3. club — for golf
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. clip — to cut
  6. drill — the tool
  7. perch — the fish
  8. club — a group
  9. clip — a video
  10. drill — army training
  11. bore — to tire
  12. drill — a practice
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bore — to drill
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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