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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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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. clip — a video
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. wound — an injury
  7. clip — for paper
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. perch — the fish
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. date — the fruit
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. clip — to cut
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bear — the animal
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fan — a supporter

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