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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. clip — a video
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rash — hasty
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. clip — for paper
  11. lean — to bend
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lean — thin
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. rash — a series
  24. can — a tin

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