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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · kick · sharp · wax · dip · bass · bark · fan

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bark — to shout
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bass — low music
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. kick — in football
  16. clip — for paper
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. clip — a video
  21. dip — to sink
  22. sharp — clever
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. dip — a sauce

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