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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 116 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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wake — a trail
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. stand — to bear
  12. rash — a series
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. mug — a face
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fall — the season
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — to rob
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rash — hasty

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