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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. hand — help
  5. board — a committee
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. clip — a video
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — magic
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bass — low music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. hand — in cards
  18. spell — letters
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. board — to get on
  22. bass — the fish
  23. lie — to recline
  24. clip — for paper

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