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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. swing — music
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pound — a weight
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. tube — the underground
  12. swing — in golf
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. tube — a container
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. cell — a phone
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cell — in biology

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