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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. clip — for paper
  6. file — a tool
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. tear — to rip
  9. file — a line of people
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. toast — bread
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. plane — a tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. clip — a video
  23. file — a document
  24. clip — to cut

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