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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: bound · lash · straw · hide · clip · stem · march · sharp

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bound — tied together
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. march — the month
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bound — obliged
  9. sharp — clever
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bound — certain
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stem — to come from
  23. clip — for paper
  24. hide — animal skin

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