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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · saw · drill · perch · lie · clip · content · bear

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. clip — a video
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. lie — to recline
  5. content — happy
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. drill — a practice
  10. saw — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. clip — for paper
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bear — the animal
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. perch — the fish
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. content — the amount
  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