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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.

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 · net · wound · bore · lean · face · rest · dip

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rest — a break
  7. net — for catching
  8. rest — what's left
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bore — to tire
  11. dip — to sink
  12. clip — for paper
  13. face — to confront
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. net — after costs
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bore — to drill
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. net — in sport
  21. rest — what's left
  22. lean — to bend
  23. wound — an injury
  24. lean — thin

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