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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. clip — a video
  5. staff — employees
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. stock — shares
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. club — for dancing
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — money
  14. bore — to drill
  15. capital — a city
  16. spring — the season
  17. stock — goods
  18. club — a group
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. club — for golf
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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