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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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. rush — to hurry
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. clip — for paper
  12. vault — a safe
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bat — the animal
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. saw — the tool

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