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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bound — certain
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. spring — the season
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bound — tied together
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. spring — of water
  19. plane — a tool
  20. fall — the season
  21. bound — obliged
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. swing — music
  24. wake — a trail

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