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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: leaves · mine · face · clip · wake · lash · calf · march

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. march — the month
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. mine — for digging
  6. clip — for paper
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. march — music
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. face — to confront
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. march — the month
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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