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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: object · rush · bore · wave · clip · mark · scale · lean

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. clip — a video
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. lean — thin
  8. object — an aim
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rush — hurry
  11. scale — in music
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. lean — to bend
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bore — to drill
  18. object — to protest
  19. bore — to tire
  20. clip — to cut
  21. object — a thing
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. scale — size or range

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