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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bank — for money
  4. clip — to cut
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bank — for money
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. spring — the season
  10. cue — for pool
  11. swing — music
  12. hand — help
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pit — a hole
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. clip — a video
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. cue — a hint
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. clip — for paper
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pit — in a race

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