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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. craft — boats
  2. clip — a video
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. stem — to come from
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. face — to confront
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bark — to shout
  11. clip — for paper
  12. perch — the fish
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. face — to point toward
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. craft — a skill
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. clip — to cut

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