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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. current — of water
  7. clip — a video
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. deal — to handle
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. current — happening now
  12. tear — from crying
  13. current — electric
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bass — low music
  16. kid — child
  17. tear — from crying
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. tear — to rip
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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