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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
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: saw · last · spell · lash · clip · toast · band · face

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. last — to go on
  3. clip — a video
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. toast — bread
  7. clip — to cut
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. spell — letters
  13. saw — the tool
  14. face — to confront
  15. band — a music group
  16. spell — magic
  17. clip — for paper
  18. spell — a short time
  19. band — a ring
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. saw — the tool
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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