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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.

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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: clip · date · march · row · wave · lie · mouse · foot

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. row — a line
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. clip — for paper
  5. march — the month
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. march — the month
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. foot — a measure
  21. date — the fruit
  22. march — music
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — of the sea

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