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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: lash · clip · fine · swing · chest · plane · wake · pass

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. chest — of your body
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. chest — a box
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. chest — of your body
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — high quality
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. clip — to cut
  14. swing — to play on
  15. clip — for paper
  16. swing — music
  17. clip — a video
  18. plane — a tool
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wake — a trail
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pass — a permit

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