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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. cell — in biology
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bat — the animal
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rush — hurry
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tube — a container
  21. spring — the season
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. safe — a strongbox

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