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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: cell · deal · lash · trunk · clip · plane · bank · key

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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. deal — to handle
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bank — of a river
  6. clip — to cut
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. clip — for paper
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bank — for money
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cell — in biology
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. key — in music
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. plane — a tool
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. cell — a phone
  21. clip — a video
  22. bank — for money
  23. key — for a lock
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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