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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. prune — to trim
  6. clip — to cut
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. spring — of water
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. clip — for paper
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. drill — a practice
  15. clip — a video
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. drill — the tool
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chair — a leader
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. chair — to sit on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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