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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cap — a lid
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cap — a hat
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cap — of ice
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rest — a break
  18. wake — a trail
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pop — soda

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