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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. current — of water
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. race — a contest
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. perch — the fish
  7. current — electric
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. drill — a practice
  10. firm — a company
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. clip — for paper
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. race — humankind
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — decided
  18. drill — army training
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. clip — a video
  21. current — happening now
  22. wax — to grow
  23. race — the arms race
  24. drill — the tool

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