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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. fall — to drop
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. pop — soda
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. charge — in control
  13. pop — to visit
  14. fall — the season
  15. charge — a price
  16. bear — the animal
  17. clip — a video
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bear — the animal
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. pop — music
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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