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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 120 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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fork — in a road
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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