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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. mug — a face
  3. bank — for money
  4. mug — to rob
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. row — a line
  9. rock — music
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. row — to paddle
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. face — to confront
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bank — for money
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bank — of a river
  23. mug — a cup
  24. leaves — to go away

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