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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. tear — to rip
  5. stock — shares
  6. clip — a video
  7. bore — to drill
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. tear — from crying
  10. perch — the fish
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a list
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stock — goods
  18. bore — to tire
  19. roll — a cake
  20. track — to keep track
  21. clip — for paper
  22. track — a path
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. track — a song

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