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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. lash — an eyelash
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rash — hasty
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fall — the season
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pop — soda
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rash — a series
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. dip — to sink
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. can — a tin
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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