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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. present — a gift
  6. sharp — clever
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. present — there
  12. prune — to trim
  13. clip — a video
  14. perch — the fish
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wind — moving air
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. present — the time now
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bulb — for light
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bulb — for light

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