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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. suit — clothes
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. land — to come down
  8. field — farmland
  9. pound — a weight
  10. suit — in cards
  11. land — a country
  12. suit — to fit
  13. field — for sport
  14. clip — a video
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. mug — a face
  17. field — a subject
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. press — a publisher
  20. land — ground
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — to push
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. mug — a cup

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