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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 120 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: cell · clip · current · cabinet · face · straw · leaves · wound

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. clip — to cut
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. face — to confront
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. current — happening now
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. face — part of the head
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. wound — an injury
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wound — an injury
  20. clip — a video
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. cell — in biology
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cabinet — ministers

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