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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: ruler · wake · branch · clip · bat · root · last · lash

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. last — to go on
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. branch — a division
  5. wake — a trail
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. root — of a word
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. root — of a plant
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. last — finally
  20. clip — to cut
  21. last — final
  22. bat — the animal
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. root — the cause

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