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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
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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: tear · cabinet · rash · clip · staff · arm · wind · can

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. clip — to cut
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. rash — a series
  7. wind — moving air
  8. tear — from crying
  9. staff — a stick
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. clip — for paper
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. wind — moving air
  14. clip — a video
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. staff — employees
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. can — a tin
  24. rash — hasty

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