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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. field — farmland
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. field — for sport
  6. clip — for paper
  7. vault — a safe
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. pit — a hole
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rule — a law
  14. pit — in a race
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. rule — government
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. clip — a video
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. field — a subject

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