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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. present — there
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. clip — a video
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — to tease
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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