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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. rest — what's left
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. rest — what's left
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. date — the fruit
  16. ground — a position
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rest — a break
  19. kid — child
  20. band — a music group
  21. ground — crushed
  22. tube — the underground
  23. ground — the earth
  24. band — a ring

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