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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: rush · wave · clip · lash · club · bank · can · net

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. can — a tin
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bank — for money
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bank — of a river
  10. can — a tin
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. clip — for paper
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. net — after costs
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. can — to be able to
  20. clip — a video
  21. bank — for money
  22. clip — to cut
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — in sport

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