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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: net · clip · lash · calf · ground · wave · branch · object

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. ground — a position
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. object — to protest
  6. clip — to cut
  7. net — after costs
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. net — for catching
  10. ground — the earth
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. clip — a video
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. net — in sport
  18. object — a thing
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. object — an aim
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. clip — for paper

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