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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. tear — from crying
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rest — what's left
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. clip — a video
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rest — a break
  12. fork — in a road
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. club — for dancing
  15. clip — for paper
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rest — what's left
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. club — a group
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. club — for golf
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. tear — from crying

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