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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 120 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. rash — a series
  6. march — music
  7. rash — hasty
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. perch — the fish
  11. march — the month
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. spell — magic
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. kick — in football
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. march — the month
  23. bulb — for light
  24. lash — to lash out

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