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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 124 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. face — to point toward
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mark — a trace
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. branch — a division
  8. ground — the earth
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. clip — to cut
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. clip — for paper
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ground — a position
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. face — to confront
  24. mark — a grade

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