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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: clip · staff · lash · wake · stick · bear · spell · rest

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rest — what's left
  3. clip — a video
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spell — letters
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rest — a break
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. staff — employees
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wake — a trail
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. spell — magic
  24. lash — to lash out

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