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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 120 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: land · root · plane · rush · clip · lash · bark · kid

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. land — a country
  3. clip — a video
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. root — of a plant
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. root — of a word
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. root — the cause
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. kid — to tease
  16. clip — to cut
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rush — hurry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — a tool

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