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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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468
Word bank
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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rock — a stone
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. row — a line
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. row — to paddle
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. spell — letters
  20. rock — music
  21. kid — child
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. kid — to tease
  24. perch — for a bird

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