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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. clip — to cut
  3. scale — size or range
  4. clip — for paper
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. staff — a stick
  7. band — a music group
  8. present — a gift
  9. rest — a break
  10. band — a ring
  11. clip — a video
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rest — what's left
  14. staff — employees
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. tear — to rip
  18. present — the time now
  19. tear — from crying
  20. present — there
  21. tear — from crying
  22. staff — employees
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. dip — a sauce

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