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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bank — for money
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spell — magic
  7. bore — to drill
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bank — for money
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. ground — the earth
  13. clip — a video
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bore — to tire
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. spell — letters
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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