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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: lash · clip · last · deal · bark · cue · band · present

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. present — there
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. clip — a video
  5. last — to go on
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. present — the time now
  10. band — a music group
  11. last — final
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. band — a ring
  14. bark — to shout
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cue — a signal
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. last — finally
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. present — a gift

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