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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. tear — from crying
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tear — to rip
  5. clip — a video
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. clip — for paper
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. track — a song
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. fork — a garden tool

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