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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 120 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. tear — to rip
  3. wake — a trail
  4. row — to paddle
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. clip — a video
  8. season — of the year
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. season — in sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. clip — for paper
  16. spring — the season
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. stand — to bear
  19. swing — to play on
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. swing — music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. swing — in golf

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