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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. land — ground
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. clip — a video
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. court — of law
  8. land — a country
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. court — of a king
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. tear — from crying
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. saw — the tool
  17. land — to come down
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. spell — letters
  21. court — for sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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