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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. cue — for pool
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cue — a hint
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. clip — to cut
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. clip — a video
  16. bound — obliged
  17. kid — child
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. clip — for paper
  23. kid — to tease
  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