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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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468
Word bank
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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cap — a lid
  6. snap — to click
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. mine — for digging
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — a video
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. cap — of ice
  19. press — a publisher
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. press — to push
  22. cap — a hat
  23. pound — a weight
  24. press — newspapers

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