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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wake — a trail
  3. perch — the fish
  4. key — for a lock
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. tube — a container
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. hand — help
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. tube — the underground
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. key — the most important part
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. hand — in cards
  20. key — in music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. tube — in a tire

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