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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 124 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. cell — a phone
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. chip — to eat
  10. firm — a company
  11. clip — a video
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. firm — decided
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. firm — steady
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cell — in biology
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. rash — a series
  23. fall — the season
  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