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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. clip — a video
  7. bass — low music
  8. clip — for paper
  9. stem — to come from
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bore — to tire
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. craft — a skill
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — gave birth

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