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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mine — for digging
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. foot — a measure
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. clip — a video
  13. rash — a series
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wax — to grow
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. perch — for a bird

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