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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. file — a line of people
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. saw — the tool
  5. file — a tool
  6. rest — what's left
  7. saw — the tool
  8. season — in sport
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. clip — a video
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wind — moving air
  15. season — of the year
  16. file — a document
  17. rest — a break
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bark — to shout
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rest — what's left

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