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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. land — ground
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. land — to come down
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. land — a country
  9. bark — to shout
  10. clip — for paper
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cell — in biology
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fine — all right
  16. lie — to recline
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. clip — a video
  19. fine — high quality
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cell — a phone
  24. temple — side of the head

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