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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 · charge · stem · net · rule · bark · lash · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. charge — electricity
  3. net — after costs
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bark — to shout
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. charge — in control
  8. net — in sport
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. charge — a price
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. stem — to come from
  14. clip — for paper
  15. net — for catching
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rule — a law
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. clip — to cut

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