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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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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: can · date · bound · rash · safe · clip · content · lash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. content — the amount
  5. clip — for paper
  6. can — to be able to
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bound — tied together
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. can — a tin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. can — a tin
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. content — happy
  21. date — the fruit
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. content — videos and posts

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