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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: roll · file · pass · clip · wind · lash · spring · rock

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  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. lash — a whip stroke
  2. wind — moving air
  3. clip — a video
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. file — a line of people
  6. spring — the season
  7. rock — music
  8. roll — a cake
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rock — a stone
  16. file — a document
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. roll — a list
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. file — a tool
  23. pass — to spend time
  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