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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. can — a tin
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. clip — a video
  11. can — to be able to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. row — a line
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. fine — all right
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bear — the animal
  20. can — a tin
  21. clip — for paper
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. fine — high quality

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