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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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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: bear · lash · wind · mine · kick · clip · object · firm

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. wind — moving air
  3. clip — for paper
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. object — to protest
  6. firm — decided
  7. wind — moving air
  8. firm — a company
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. kick — in football
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. mine — for digging
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bear — the animal
  17. clip — a video
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. firm — steady
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. object — an aim
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. clip — to cut
  24. object — a thing

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