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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · saw · pass · sharp · wake · lash · pound · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pass — a permit
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pound — a weight
  8. sharp — clever
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. land — to come down
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. land — ground
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. wake — a trail
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. clip — a video

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