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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: sharp · spring · tube · arm · clip · hide · ball · wind

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. tube — a container
  3. spring — of water
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — the season
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. clip — for paper
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spring — a coil
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. ball — a great time
  14. wind — moving air
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. clip — to cut
  17. sharp — clever
  18. tube — the underground
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. ball — a dance
  24. arm — a part of something

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