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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. deal — to handle
  3. snap — to click
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. press — to push
  7. rash — a series
  8. wake — a trail
  9. shower — rain
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. press — a publisher
  12. rash — hasty
  13. spring — a coil
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. press — newspapers
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. spring — the season
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. spring — of water
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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