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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. drill — army training
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. clip — a video
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. drill — the tool
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fork — in a road
  14. rock — a stone
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. rock — music
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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