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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
468
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 · snap · bat · current · bass · clip · spring · patient

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. clip — a video
  6. bass — low music
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bat — the animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. current — electric
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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