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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. track — a song
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. race — humankind
  7. root — of a word
  8. lean — thin
  9. clip — for paper
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. track — a path
  14. race — a contest
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. race — the arms race
  20. can — a tin
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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