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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bound — obliged
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rest — what's left
  8. drill — army training
  9. clip — for paper
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bound — tied together
  13. plane — a tool
  14. drill — the tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bound — certain
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rest — a break
  19. tear — to rip
  20. clip — a video
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. rest — what's left

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