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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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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: ground · wake · bulb · stand · leaves · snap · swing · lash

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. ground — crushed
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. ground — a position
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. swing — in golf
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. snap — to click
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wake — a trail
  19. swing — music
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. ground — the earth
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. leaves — to go away

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