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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: coach · lash · pound · squash · clip · current · fan · spring

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. squash — to crush
  7. spring — of water
  8. squash — the sport
  9. current — electric
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. current — happening now
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. clip — to cut
  16. current — of water
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spring — the season
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pound — a weight
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. clip — for paper
  24. coach — a trainer

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