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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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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: cue · hand · bat · bulb · wound · lash · clip · tube

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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. bulb — for light
  4. clip — for paper
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. clip — to cut
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bulb — for light
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cue — a hint
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cue — a signal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bat — the animal
  20. hand — help
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bat — for baseball

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