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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: fine · clip · club · cabinet · wound · lash · toast · trunk

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. club — a group
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. clip — to cut
  14. toast — bread
  15. wound — an injury
  16. club — for golf
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. clip — a video
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. wound — an injury
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. club — for dancing
  24. cabinet — ministers

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