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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  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. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. staff — employees
  4. shower — to wash
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. current — happening now
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bear — the animal
  12. clip — a video
  13. staff — employees
  14. object — a thing
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. object — to protest
  17. current — electric
  18. perch — the fish
  19. object — an aim
  20. current — of water
  21. bear — the animal
  22. shower — rain
  23. pass — a permit
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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