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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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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. clip — to cut
  3. prune — to trim
  4. current — of water
  5. prune — to trim
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rule — government
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. deal — to handle
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. current — electric
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. drill — army training
  21. clip — a video
  22. rule — a law
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. current — happening now

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