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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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. fork — in a road
  3. cell — a phone
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. clip — a video
  8. pit — a hole
  9. tube — a container
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pit — in a race
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. cell — in biology

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