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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. foot — a measure
  4. clip — to cut
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. wind — moving air
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. clip — for paper
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. field — a subject
  12. clip — a video
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. plane — a tool
  15. lie — to recline
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. field — for sport
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wind — moving air
  21. field — farmland
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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