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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. shower — to wash
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bank — of a river
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bank — for money
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. clip — for paper
  11. shower — rain
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bank — for money
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. calf — a young animal

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