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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 124 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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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. spring — the season
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. clip — a video
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mine — for digging
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. spring — of water
  24. mine — belonging to me

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