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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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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: cell · clip · band · kick · spell · lash · stick · snap

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. spell — a short time
  3. band — a ring
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. spell — letters
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. clip — to cut
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. clip — a video
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. spell — magic
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. clip — for paper
  24. snap — to click

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