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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wake — a trail
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. track — a song
  8. chest — of your body
  9. scale — size or range
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. chest — of your body
  14. track — a path
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. rush — hurry
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. scale — in music
  22. vault — a safe
  23. chest — a box
  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