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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 120 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: cabinet · kick · lash · march · wake · spring · scale · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. scale — in music
  9. kick — in football
  10. scale — size or range
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. clip — to cut
  13. spring — the season
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. march — the month
  20. spring — of water
  21. march — the month
  22. clip — for paper
  23. march — music
  24. spring — a coil

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