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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · game · leaves · wind · lie · lash

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. row — a line
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. row — to paddle
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. game — wild animals
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lie — to recline

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