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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.

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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: wake · season · scale · hand · bark · wind · can · clip

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wake — a trail
  3. clip — to cut
  4. scale — in music
  5. season — of the year
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. hand — in cards
  10. season — in sport
  11. bark — to shout
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. clip — a video
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. scale — size or range
  18. clip — for paper
  19. can — a tin
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wind — moving air
  24. hand — help

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