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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — in biology
  4. clip — for paper
  5. face — to point toward
  6. last — final
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — clothes
  9. face — to confront
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. last — to go on
  13. branch — a division
  14. face — part of the head
  15. last — finally
  16. wound — an injury
  17. suit — to fit
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. clip — to cut
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. cell — a phone

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