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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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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: wave · clip · present · tear · object · leaves · arm · foot

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. clip — to cut
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. tear — to rip
  5. present — there
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. clip — for paper
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. object — a thing
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. object — to protest
  15. tear — from crying
  16. object — an aim
  17. clip — a video
  18. present — a gift
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. present — the time now

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