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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spell — a short time
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. spell — magic
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. clip — a video
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. press — newspapers
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. clip — to cut
  15. fork — in a road
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. press — to push
  20. degree — temperature
  21. spell — letters
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. press — a publisher
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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