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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. saw — the tool
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mark — a grade
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. saw — the tool
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mark — a trace
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. season — of the year
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. season — in sport
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bear — the animal

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