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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · rush · land · clip · rock · mate · racket · perch

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mate — a partner
  3. clip — a video
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rock — a stone
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. mate — a friend
  9. perch — the fish
  10. land — to come down
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rock — music
  18. clip — to cut
  19. land — a country
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mate — to breed
  22. land — ground
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rush — a thrill

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