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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. clip — to cut
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. clip — for paper
  6. key — in music
  7. deal — to handle
  8. object — a thing
  9. spring — of water
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. spring — the season
  14. object — an aim
  15. spring — a coil
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. clip — a video
  24. cabinet — ministers

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