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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. press — to push
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. clip — for paper
  8. craft — boats
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. clip — a video
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. saw — the tool
  17. press — a publisher
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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