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

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. last — to go on
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. last — final
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fall — the season
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. last — finally

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