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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.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rock — music
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bark — to shout
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. clip — a video
  13. cue — a hint
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cue — for pool
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cue — a signal

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