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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bulb — for light
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bulb — for light
  9. swing — in golf
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cell — in biology
  15. swing — to play on
  16. cell — a phone
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wake — a trail
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. swing — music

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