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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: kid · stick · tube · pitcher · clip · staff · bay · lash

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. kid — to tease
  4. clip — to cut
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. staff — employees
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. staff — employees
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. clip — a video
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. kid — child
  24. pitcher — a jug

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