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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. lie — to recline
  4. clip — a video
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. can — to be able to
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wake — a trail
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. can — a tin
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. clip — for paper
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. can — a tin
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. perch — the fish

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