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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. present — a gift
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pound — a weight
  7. present — the time now
  8. row — to paddle
  9. present — there
  10. row — a line
  11. mug — to rob
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. clip — to cut
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — a skill
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mug — a face
  20. craft — boats
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mug — a cup
  24. clip — a video

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