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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — for paper
  3. can — a tin
  4. cap — a lid
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. hand — help
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. can — to be able to
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. kick — in football
  18. can — a tin
  19. bark — to shout
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. patient — a sick person

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