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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. last — final
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. last — finally
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. band — a ring
  10. race — humankind
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. lie — to recline
  20. race — the arms race
  21. band — a music group
  22. last — to go on
  23. perch — the fish
  24. race — a contest

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