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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bore — to tire
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. clip — a video
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bore — to drill
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mate — a friend
  13. clip — for paper
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. stem — to come from
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

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