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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. drill — army training
  4. clip — to cut
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bear — the animal
  7. suit — clothes
  8. current — electric
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. wound — an injury
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. suit — in cards
  16. current — happening now
  17. drill — a practice
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. drill — the tool
  20. suit — to fit
  21. current — of water
  22. wound — an injury
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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