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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 112 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: bear · clip · bass · perch · racket · land · deal · hand

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. deal — to handle
  3. perch — the fish
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. hand — help
  6. clip — a video
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bear — the animal
  10. hand — in cards
  11. land — a country
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. land — to come down
  17. bass — low music
  18. clip — to cut
  19. land — ground
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bear — the animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bass — the fish

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