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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: clip · stick · mouse · wake · straw · lash · dip · key

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wake — a trail
  4. clip — a video
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. key — in music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. key — the most important part
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. clip — to cut
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. key — for a lock
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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