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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: hide · cabinet · fork · face · clip · capital · dip · perch

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. face — to confront
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. capital — a city
  10. face — part of the head
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. face — to point toward
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. perch — the fish
  17. fork — in a road
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. capital — money
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. dip — to sink
  24. clip — to cut

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