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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. object — to protest
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — a gift
  8. mug — to rob
  9. spell — a short time
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mug — a cup
  12. spell — letters
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wound — an injury
  15. present — there
  16. object — an aim
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spell — magic
  20. mug — a face
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. clip — a video
  24. object — a thing

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