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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. spell — letters
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pop — music
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pop — to visit
  12. wake — a trail
  13. track — a song
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pop — soda
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. rock — a stone
  21. land — to come down
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rock — music

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