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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. net — for catching
  3. bound — certain
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. clip — for paper
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bound — tied together
  8. clip — a video
  9. mine — for digging
  10. net — in sport
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wake — a trail
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — the underground
  22. net — after costs
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bound — obliged

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