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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. clip — to cut
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. shower — to wash
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. craft — boats
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. clip — for paper
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. clip — a video
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. craft — a skill
  17. shower — rain
  18. can — a tin
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bore — to drill
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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