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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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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: bark · clip · hide · key · rash · face · firm · cell

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. firm — decided
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. face — to confront
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. face — part of the head
  10. key — in music
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rash — hasty
  13. key — for a lock
  14. rash — a series
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bark — to shout
  20. firm — a company
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. face — to point toward
  23. firm — steady
  24. cell — in biology

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