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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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468
Word bank
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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wound — an injury
  3. clip — to cut
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cell — a phone
  6. staff — a stick
  7. present — a gift
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. staff — employees
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. present — the time now
  18. staff — employees
  19. clip — for paper
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. present — there
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. clip — a video

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