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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. current — of water
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bank — of a river
  6. spring — of water
  7. clip — a video
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. current — electric
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bank — for money
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spring — the season
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bank — for money
  19. current — happening now
  20. clip — for paper
  21. march — the month
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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