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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.

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: clip · perch · bowl · fall · file · wake · can · mouse

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fall — to drop
  4. can — to be able to
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. clip — a video
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. perch — the fish
  17. file — a tool
  18. fall — the season
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. file — a line of people
  23. clip — for paper
  24. file — a document

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