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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. spring — of water
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. clip — for paper
  9. mate — to breed
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bore — to drill
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bore — to tire
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. mate — a partner
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spring — a coil
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pop — to visit
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pop — music
  23. spring — the season
  24. mate — a friend

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