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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bound — tied together
  5. press — newspapers
  6. net — for catching
  7. bore — to drill
  8. press — to push
  9. clip — a video
  10. bound — certain
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. net — in sport
  13. press — a publisher
  14. present — a gift
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. clip — to cut
  17. present — there
  18. present — the time now
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bore — to tire
  22. net — after costs
  23. wind — moving air
  24. clip — for paper

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