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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — a trail
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. tube — a container
  6. spell — a short time
  7. tube — the underground
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pound — a weight
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. spell — magic
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. spell — letters
  21. ball — a great time
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. clip — a video

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