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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: tear · chip · plane · clip · season · lash · nail · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. clip — to cut
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. clip — for paper
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. chip — to eat
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. season — of the year
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. chip — for betting
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. tear — from crying
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. clip — a video
  24. season — in sport

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