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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: ground · patient · snap · stock · hide · lash · clip · ball

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stock — goods
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. clip — to cut
  7. stock — shares
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. ground — the earth
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ground — a position
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. ball — a great time
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. clip — for paper

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