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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bear — the animal
  3. perch — the fish
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bound — obliged
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rush — hurry
  14. spell — letters
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bound — tied together
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. row — a line
  19. spell — magic
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bound — certain
  24. lash — an eyelash

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