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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: chest · rush · hide · hand · clip · current · staff · lash

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. current — of water
  3. clip — a video
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. current — electric
  10. chest — a box
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. chest — of your body
  14. current — happening now
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. staff — employees
  19. rush — hurry
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hand — help

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