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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. perch — the fish
  8. tube — the underground
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. clip — for paper
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. clip — a video
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. mine — for digging
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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