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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
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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: land · present · board · ground · swing · lash · hide · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. present — the time now
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. ground — the earth
  6. land — ground
  7. ground — crushed
  8. clip — a video
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. board — a committee
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. ground — a position
  13. land — a country
  14. present — a gift
  15. board — to get on
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. clip — for paper
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. swing — in golf
  21. land — to come down
  22. swing — to play on
  23. present — there
  24. swing — music

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