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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. clip — a video
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. row — a line
  12. row — to paddle
  13. craft — a skill
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — a price
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. charge — electricity
  24. wave — of the sea

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