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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: mark · clip · last · root · calf · lash · key · fine

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. clip — a video
  3. mark — a grade
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. clip — to cut
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. last — to go on
  9. mark — a trace
  10. clip — for paper
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fine — all right
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. key — for a lock
  17. root — of a word
  18. key — in music
  19. root — of a plant
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. key — the most important part
  23. fine — high quality
  24. root — the cause

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