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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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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: band · wake · dip · lean · bay · lash · kick · clip

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wake — a trail
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. band — a ring
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. band — a music group
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. dip — to sink
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. kick — in football
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. lean — thin

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