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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: mate · lash · bank · face · wind · arm · clip · calf

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. mate — a partner
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wind — moving air
  10. face — to point toward
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. face — to confront
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. clip — a video
  21. bank — for money
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mate — to breed

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