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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. fall — the season
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mine — an explosive

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