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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wake — a trail
  7. snap — to click
  8. rock — music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tear — to rip
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. tear — from crying
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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