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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bore — to tire
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. bore — to drill
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. band — a ring
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. stand — to bear
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. clip — a video
  21. track — a path
  22. clip — for paper
  23. track — a song
  24. perch — for a bird

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