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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. file — a line of people
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bat — the animal
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bore — to tire
  20. vault — a safe
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. clip — a video
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to drill

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