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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. clip — a video
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. saw — the tool
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. perch — the fish
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rush — hurry
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — to come from
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bound — tied together
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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