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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: last · clip · cabinet · bulb · staff · trunk · lash · bat

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. last — to go on
  6. clip — to cut
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bulb — for light
  9. staff — employees
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. staff — a stick
  12. clip — a video
  13. bulb — for light
  14. last — finally
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. last — final
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. staff — employees

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