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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 120 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: rest · pound · cue · clip · shower · lash · pass · bass

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. clip — for paper
  3. shower — rain
  4. cue — a signal
  5. rest — what's left
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — a permit
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. cue — for pool
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bass — low music
  14. clip — a video
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. rest — a break
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bass — the fish

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