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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rush — hurry
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. saw — the tool
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. fall — the season
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. clip — a video
  20. cell — a phone
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stand — to bear
  24. fall — to drop

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