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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mug — a face
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. face — to confront
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mug — a cup
  14. prune — to trim
  15. face — to point toward
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. spell — magic
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mug — to rob
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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