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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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 — to cut
  2. spell — letters
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. current — electric
  5. fall — to drop
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fall — the season
  9. deal — to handle
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. current — happening now
  13. board — to get on
  14. spell — magic
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. board — a committee
  17. perch — the fish
  18. clip — for paper
  19. current — of water
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fall — to drop
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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