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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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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 · band · lash · clip · nail · arm · cue · tear

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cue — a signal
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. roll — a list
  8. band — a ring
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. tear — to rip
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cue — a hint
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. cue — for pool
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. band — a music group
  20. clip — a video
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. roll — a cake
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. arm — part of the body

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