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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. clip — a video
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. shower — rain
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. season — of the year
  19. shower — to wash
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. season — in sport
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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