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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 116 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wake — a trail
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — to protest
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. scale — size or range
  8. object — a thing
  9. clip — a video
  10. spring — a coil
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. scale — in music
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bass — low music
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. clip — for paper
  20. spring — of water
  21. bass — the fish
  22. ball — a dance
  23. clip — to cut
  24. spring — the season

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