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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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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bound — tied together
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. club — a group
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bank — for money
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. club — for golf
  18. bank — of a river
  19. club — for dancing
  20. clip — a video
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bank — for money
  24. chair — a professorship

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