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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: ground · wave · cap · perch · clip · saw · straw · rush

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ground — a position
  6. clip — to cut
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. clip — for paper
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ground — the earth
  14. perch — the fish
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rush — hurry
  20. clip — a video
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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