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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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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: clip · stem · kick · bay · mark · face · rash · bass

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. clip — a video
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — in football
  7. mark — a trace
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. rash — a series
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. face — to point toward
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mark — a grade
  24. clip — for paper

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