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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: cue · band · ground · mate · lash · clip · calf · fine

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fine — all right
  3. cue — a hint
  4. mate — a partner
  5. clip — a video
  6. band — a ring
  7. ground — the earth
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cue — a signal
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cue — for pool
  17. ground — crushed
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fine — high quality
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. ground — a position
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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