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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. snap — to click
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. perch — the fish
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. fall — to drop
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. wind — moving air
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lean — thin
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fall — the season
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fall — to drop

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