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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wake — a trail
  3. clip — to cut
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. can — a tin
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. can — a tin
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pitch — completely
  22. clip — a video
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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