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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. can — a tin
  3. chest — of your body
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. can — a tin
  7. chest — a box
  8. bore — to drill
  9. clip — for paper
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. can — to be able to
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. clip — a video
  17. press — to push
  18. spell — magic
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bore — to tire
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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