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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. object — to protest
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. object — a thing
  7. deal — to handle
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. clip — a video
  10. fall — to drop
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. fall — the season
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. object — an aim
  16. clip — to cut
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bore — to tire
  19. fall — to drop
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to drill
  24. trunk — of a tree

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