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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. clip — a video
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bore — to tire
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. clip — to cut
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. band — a ring
  15. bore — to drill
  16. clip — for paper
  17. swing — in golf
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. swing — music
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. band — a music group
  23. stem — to come from
  24. band — a rubber band

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