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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. row — a line
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. spell — magic
  7. file — a document
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mark — a trace
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. row — to paddle
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. spell — letters
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bound — tied together

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