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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. clip — to cut
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. staff — a stick
  14. clip — a video
  15. staff — employees
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bore — to tire
  18. staff — employees
  19. drill — army training
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. squash — to crush

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