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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mate — a friend
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. prune — to trim
  7. clip — for paper
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. can — a tin
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. deal — to handle
  12. clip — a video
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. deal — an agreement

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