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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. present — there
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mug — to rob
  6. present — the time now
  7. mug — a face
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bark — to shout
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. present — a gift
  14. mug — a cup
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pop — music
  24. wave — of the sea

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