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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bound — certain
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. spring — of water
  11. wind — moving air
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spring — a coil
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bound — tied together
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. perch — the fish
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. spring — the season
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bound — obliged

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