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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: last · wound · fork · lash · lie · clip · jam · stick

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. last — final
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. clip — for paper
  9. lie — to recline
  10. last — to go on
  11. clip — a video
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. last — finally
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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