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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. face — part of the head
  7. net — for catching
  8. spell — letters
  9. face — to point toward
  10. net — after costs
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wake — a trail
  13. spell — a short time
  14. face — to confront
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. net — in sport
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mine — for digging
  21. spell — magic
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bound — certain
  24. lash — to lash out

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