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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. can — to be able to
  3. net — for catching
  4. clip — for paper
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. net — after costs
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. clip — a video
  9. can — a tin
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. band — a music group
  15. saw — the tool
  16. net — in sport
  17. clip — to cut
  18. band — a ring
  19. can — a tin
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bear — the animal
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bear — the animal
  24. leaves — to go away

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