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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. present — a gift
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. scale — size or range
  5. content — the amount
  6. charge — a price
  7. scale — in music
  8. charge — in control
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wind — moving air
  15. clip — a video
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. present — there
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. present — the time now
  20. charge — electricity
  21. clip — for paper
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bark — to shout
  24. content — happy

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