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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. drill — the tool
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mug — to rob
  11. clip — a video
  12. mug — a cup
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pound — a weight
  16. drill — army training
  17. net — in sport
  18. mug — a face
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. can — a tin
  21. net — after costs
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. net — for catching
  24. can — a tin

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