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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. land — a country
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bulb — for light
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. land — to come down
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. land — ground
  20. roll — a list
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. leaves — lets stay

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