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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. clip — a video
  3. drill — the tool
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. clip — to cut
  7. last — finally
  8. clip — for paper
  9. drill — a practice
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. last — to go on
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. lie — to recline
  18. last — final
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. branch — a division
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wave — with your hand

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