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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rest — a break
  5. spell — magic
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. spring — of water
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — to tire
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rest — what's left
  19. spell — letters
  20. rush — hurry
  21. spring — the season
  22. bore — to drill
  23. clip — a video
  24. perch — for a bird

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