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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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468
Word bank
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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — a measure
  5. clip — for paper
  6. vault — a safe
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. wake — a trail
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bark — to shout
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. racket — for tennis

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