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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 120 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. clip — a video
  5. field — farmland
  6. stock — shares
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. field — for sport
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. field — a subject
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. band — a music group
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. band — a ring
  24. stock — goods

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