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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. fall — the season
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. tear — to rip
  13. chip — to eat
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. tear — from crying
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. saw — the tool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chip — for betting
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. clip — a video

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