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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 124 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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pop — to visit
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bore — to drill
  5. perch — the fish
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. cap — a hat
  9. net — after costs
  10. season — of the year
  11. clip — for paper
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. band — a music group
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bore — to tire
  17. band — a ring
  18. pop — soda
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pop — music
  22. net — in sport
  23. cap — of ice
  24. season — in sport

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