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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. spring — of water
  4. object — to protest
  5. mark — a trace
  6. season — of the year
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. mark — a grade
  9. clip — for paper
  10. spring — a coil
  11. present — a gift
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. object — a thing
  15. spring — the season
  16. present — the time now
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. object — an aim
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. present — there
  24. arm — part of the body

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