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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.

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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: clip · last · lash · band · deal · saw · current · arm

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. deal — to handle
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. saw — the tool
  5. clip — to cut
  6. current — of water
  7. last — final
  8. current — electric
  9. last — finally
  10. band — a ring
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. current — happening now
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. clip — a video
  23. last — to go on
  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