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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — electric
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bark — to shout
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bore — to drill
  8. current — of water
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bore — to tire
  12. clip — to cut
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. squash — to crush
  20. kick — in football
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. clip — a video
  24. bark — of a tree

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