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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. chest — of your body
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. content — the amount
  10. bore — to tire
  11. current — electric
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. clip — a video
  14. prune — to trim
  15. current — of water
  16. kid — child
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. content — happy
  19. current — happening now
  20. clip — for paper
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. kid — to tease

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