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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: snap · hide · wax · racket · arm · clip · prune · lash

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. arm — a part of something
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. clip — to cut
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. clip — for paper
  23. wax — to grow
  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