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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. tube — the underground
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mate — to breed
  7. lie — to recline
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. clip — a video
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. tube — a container
  12. clip — for paper
  13. shower — rain
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mate — a partner
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. tube — in a tire

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