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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.

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: spring · clip · dip · wave · lash · charge · march · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. charge — a price
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. march — the month
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. spring — a coil
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. dip — to sink
  9. clip — for paper
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. spring — the season
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. charge — electricity
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. charge — in control
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. spring — of water

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