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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tear — from crying
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. face — part of the head
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tear — to rip
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. face — to point toward
  16. clip — for paper
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. tear — from crying
  22. face — to confront
  23. track — a path
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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