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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. club — a group
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. field — farmland
  7. clip — to cut
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. club — for dancing
  10. field — a subject
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. march — the month
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. club — for golf
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. march — music
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. march — the month
  21. clip — a video
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. field — for sport
  24. clip — for paper

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