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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. march — the month
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. clip — for paper
  5. march — the month
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. tear — to rip
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. march — music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. clip — to cut
  21. can — to be able to
  22. tear — from crying
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. tear — from crying

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