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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
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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: lash · bulb · clip · branch · hide · bat · chip · date

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. clip — a video
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bulb — for light
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bat — the animal
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bulb — for light
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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