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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 116 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cue — a signal
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. charge — in control
  6. tear — from crying
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cue — a hint
  13. charge — a price
  14. prune — to trim
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. prune — to trim
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cue — for pool
  22. charge — electricity
  23. clip — a video
  24. tear — to rip

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