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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. lash — a whip stroke
  2. content — happy
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. rash — a series
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. shower — to wash
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. stand — to bear
  13. shower — rain
  14. rash — hasty
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. scale — in music
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bark — of a tree
  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