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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. club — for dancing
  5. clip — to cut
  6. lie — to recline
  7. tube — the underground
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. tube — a container
  11. club — a group
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. clip — for paper
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. clip — a video
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. club — for golf
  22. mark — a grade
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mark — a trace

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