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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. clip — for paper
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. craft — boats
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. row — to paddle
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. clip — a video
  17. wax — to grow
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. object — to protest
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. craft — a skill
  24. row — a line

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