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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. band — a ring
  4. file — a document
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. file — a line of people
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. file — a tool
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. shower — rain
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. shower — to wash
  15. band — a music group
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wake — a trail
  19. drill — a practice
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. board — to get on
  22. dip — to sink
  23. board — a committee
  24. wake — before a funeral

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