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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. track — a song
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. rock — a stone
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. rock — music
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. track — a path
  14. capital — money
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. capital — a city
  20. prune — to trim
  21. track — to keep track
  22. prune — to trim
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. clip — for paper

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