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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bank — of a river
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bank — for money
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. clip — a video
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rash — a series
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rash — hasty
  17. stand — to bear
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. saw — the tool
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bank — for money
  24. stand — on your feet

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