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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. spring — the season
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. spring — a coil
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. spring — of water
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bulb — for light
  17. clip — for paper
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wake — a trail
  21. clip — to cut
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. clip — a video

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