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

Word bank: craft · key · snap · tube · lash · stem · tear · clip

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. craft — a skill
  4. tear — to rip
  5. snap — to click
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stem — to come from
  8. key — the most important part
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. key — for a lock
  13. craft — boats
  14. key — in music
  15. tube — the underground
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. tube — a container
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. clip — a video
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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