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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. current — happening now
  10. rest — a break
  11. current — of water
  12. rest — what's left
  13. clip — a video
  14. current — electric
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bear — the animal
  24. leaves — of a tree

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