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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. face — part of the head
  3. key — for a lock
  4. clip — for paper
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rash — a series
  8. wound — an injury
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. face — to confront
  14. band — a music group
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. clip — a video
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. face — to point toward
  19. key — the most important part
  20. rash — hasty
  21. band — a ring
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. clip — to cut
  24. key — in music

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