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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: lie · trunk · wind · wave · jam · fall · lash · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. fall — to drop
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fall — the season
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. clip — for paper
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. wind — moving air

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