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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. swing — music
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. tear — from crying
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. swing — in golf
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. saw — the tool
  16. swing — to play on
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. tear — to rip
  24. kick — in football

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