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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 116 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: wake · rash · mate · clip · staff · lash · trunk · bass

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rash — a series
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mate — to breed
  12. clip — for paper
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mate — a partner
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. staff — employees
  20. bass — low music
  21. clip — to cut
  22. staff — employees
  23. clip — a video
  24. mate — a friend

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