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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bulb — for light
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. kid — to tease
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. kid — child
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bulb — for light
  17. land — a country
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wake — a trail
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bulb — of a plant

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