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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. band — a ring
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. board — to get on
  5. spell — a short time
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. clip — a video
  9. field — for sport
  10. board — a committee
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. field — a subject
  14. lie — to recline
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. field — farmland
  18. spell — letters
  19. band — a music group
  20. spell — magic
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — a trace
  23. clip — for paper
  24. lie — an untruth

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