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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cap — a lid
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wake — a trail
  6. game — a match
  7. suit — to fit
  8. cap — of ice
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. plane — a tool
  13. cap — a hat
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. row — a line
  16. suit — in cards
  17. suit — clothes
  18. clip — a video
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. craft — boats
  22. clip — for paper
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. wake — before a funeral

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