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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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. clip — to cut
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. spell — magic
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. clip — a video
  24. pass — a permit

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