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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. drill — army training
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. shower — to wash
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. drill — the tool
  8. tube — the underground
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. shower — rain
  11. tube — a container
  12. clip — a video
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rest — a break
  15. drill — a practice
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. season — of the year
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rest — what's left
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. bulb — for light
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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