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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. chip — to eat
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. rest — a break
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. rash — a series
  13. chip — for betting
  14. press — a publisher
  15. clip — for paper
  16. press — newspapers
  17. spring — of water
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spring — a coil
  20. toast — bread
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rest — what's left
  23. press — to push
  24. tear — to rip

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