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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 120 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: clip · suit · mate · drill · lash · key · march · tear

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. march — music
  3. clip — to cut
  4. drill — army training
  5. suit — to fit
  6. clip — a video
  7. suit — in cards
  8. drill — the tool
  9. key — in music
  10. mate — a friend
  11. tear — from crying
  12. suit — clothes
  13. tear — to rip
  14. key — for a lock
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. tear — from crying
  17. march — the month
  18. clip — for paper
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mate — to breed
  21. key — the most important part
  22. march — the month
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. mate — a partner

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