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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 120 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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bear — the animal
  4. clip — for paper
  5. row — a line
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. firm — decided
  11. drill — army training
  12. firm — a company
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. firm — steady
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. root — of a word
  19. clip — a video
  20. root — the cause
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. root — of a plant
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pitcher — a jug

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