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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. patient — a sick person

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