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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. tear — to rip
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. clip — for paper
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spring — the season
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. clip — a video
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. clip — to cut
  18. spring — of water
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. tear — from crying
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. perch — for a bird

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