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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're on a ________________ here.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. content — the amount
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. content — happy
  8. roll — a cake
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. clip — a video
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pound — a weight
  21. roll — a list
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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