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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. last — final
  4. rest — what's left
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. tube — a container
  13. last — finally
  14. perch — the fish
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. clip — a video
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. rest — a break
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rest — what's left
  24. last — to go on

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