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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. cap — of ice
  5. band — a music group
  6. cap — a hat
  7. shower — rain
  8. clip — a video
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. content — the amount
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. band — a ring
  18. content — happy
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. clip — for paper
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stock — goods
  24. cap — a lid

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