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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. clip — a video
  3. board — to get on
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. land — ground
  6. shower — rain
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. shower — to wash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. land — a country
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wound — an injury
  17. land — to come down
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wound — an injury
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. date — the fruit

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