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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 116 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: key · lean · wound · clip · pitcher · face · rule · mine

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. clip — a video
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. key — in music
  8. face — to confront
  9. rule — a law
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rule — government
  15. lean — thin
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. face — part of the head

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