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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. band — a ring
  7. firm — steady
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. band — a music group
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. chest — of your body
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. chest — of your body
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. firm — decided
  19. cell — a phone
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. firm — a company
  22. chest — a box
  23. cell — in biology
  24. lash — an eyelash

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