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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 116 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. charge — a price
  6. key — in music
  7. hand — help
  8. key — for a lock
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wound — an injury
  11. clip — a video
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. clip — to cut
  14. charge — electricity
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rest — what's left
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rest — what's left
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. charge — in control
  24. rest — a break

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