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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · ruler · cell · leaves · fork · lash

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. clip — a video
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. cell — in biology
  11. fork — in a road
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. fork — to eat with

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