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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: pop · fan · lash · land · clip · season · kick · bank

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. clip — for paper
  3. season — of the year
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. land — to come down
  8. pop — soda
  9. bank — for money
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. kick — in football
  14. land — a country
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pop — to visit
  20. clip — a video
  21. pop — music
  22. land — ground
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. season — to add flavour

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