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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. land — a country
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. hand — help
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. land — to come down
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. hand — in cards
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. land — ground
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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