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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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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: wind · fine · dip · cabinet · race · season · clip · jam

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. race — humankind
  4. clip — a video
  5. fine — high quality
  6. season — of the year
  7. wind — moving air
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. race — a contest
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wind — moving air
  14. season — in sport
  15. race — the arms race
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. clip — for paper
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. fine — all right
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. dip — to sink

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