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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. mug — a face
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fork — in a road
  6. cold — an illness
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cold — not warm
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bank — of a river
  17. mug — a cup
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bank — for money
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bank — for money

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