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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: clip · band · face · charge · kick · bark · wound · squash

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wound — an injury
  3. clip — for paper
  4. band — a music group
  5. bark — to shout
  6. face — to confront
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. clip — to cut
  9. face — part of the head
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. wound — an injury
  12. band — a ring
  13. charge — a price
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. clip — a video
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. face — to point toward
  24. kick — a thrill

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