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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. fall — to drop
  9. clip — to cut
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fall — the season
  12. clip — for paper
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. land — ground
  16. perch — the fish
  17. toast — bread
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. fall — to drop
  20. clip — a video
  21. land — a country
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. nail — for a hammer

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