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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mine — for digging
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mine — belonging to me

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