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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. capital — a city
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. deal — to handle
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. can — a tin
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. clip — a video
  12. capital — money
  13. bound — tied together
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. can — a tin
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bound — obliged
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. clip — to cut
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bound — certain

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