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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · staff · rash · stick · lash · clip · bound · wave

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. staff — employees
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bound — certain
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. staff — employees
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. clip — for paper
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. clip — a video
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. staff — a stick
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the 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