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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: kid · stick · staff · tube · board · lash · clip · mug

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. staff — a stick
  4. board — to get on
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — the underground
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. mug — a cup
  10. board — a committee
  11. staff — employees
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kid — to tease
  17. staff — employees
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mug — a face
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. tube — a container
  24. mug — to rob

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