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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 120 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. spring — of water
  6. track — a song
  7. squash — to crush
  8. track — a path
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. spring — the season
  12. perch — the fish
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wake — a trail
  15. squash — the sport
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lash — an eyelash

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