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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. spell — a short time
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. spell — letters
  8. wake — a trail
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. branch — a division
  15. rash — a series
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. plane — a tool
  18. craft — boats
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. craft — a skill
  21. rash — hasty
  22. spell — magic
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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