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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. can — a tin
  3. charge — a price
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. clip — for paper
  10. content — the amount
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — electricity
  13. can — a tin
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pop — soda
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. clip — a video
  20. pop — music
  21. content — happy
  22. lean — thin
  23. pop — to visit
  24. can — to be able to

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