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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. clip — to cut
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. spell — a short time
  6. swing — music
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. clip — a video
  9. file — a document
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. swing — in golf
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. swing — to play on
  15. spell — letters
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. clip — for paper
  18. prune — to trim
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. file — a tool
  21. spell — magic
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. file — a line of people

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