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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 120 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. row — to paddle
  3. clip — a video
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. march — the month
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spring — of water
  9. can — a tin
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. can — to be able to
  12. march — music
  13. spring — the season
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. march — the month
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. spring — a coil
  20. perch — the fish
  21. row — a line
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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