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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · tear · clip · stick · game · rash · drill · current

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. face — to point toward
  5. drill — the tool
  6. current — happening now
  7. clip — for paper
  8. tear — from crying
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rash — a series
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. current — electric
  15. current — of water
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. clip — a video
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. game — a match
  24. face — to confront

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