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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 120 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  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. snap — to click
  3. mug — a cup
  4. squash — to crush
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mug — to rob
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. fall — to drop
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. row — to paddle
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. fall — to drop
  17. row — a line
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mug — a face
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. squash — the sport
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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