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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. drill — a practice
  3. spell — letters
  4. cap — a hat
  5. drill — army training
  6. stem — to come from
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rest — what's left
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. drill — the tool
  12. clip — a video
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. rest — what's left
  16. clip — for paper
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. deal — to handle
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. rest — a break
  21. spell — magic
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cap — of ice
  24. spell — a short time

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