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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 116 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. tube — the underground
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. kick — in football
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. tube — a container
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. pop — to visit
  22. clip — for paper
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bank — for money

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