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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. press — a publisher
  5. craft — a skill
  6. clip — for paper
  7. spring — a coil
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cue — a hint
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. craft — boats
  12. press — to push
  13. plane — a tool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. cue — a signal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. clip — a video
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. clip — to cut

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