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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. clip — for paper
  3. perch — the fish
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. clip — to cut
  10. stand — to bear
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cue — for pool
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cue — a signal
  16. rash — a series
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. clip — a video
  20. branch — a division
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rush — hurry
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stand — for spectators

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