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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: rush · wake · stick · mug · lash · cell · lie · cabinet

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. lie — to recline
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mug — a face
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mug — to rob
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cabinet — ministers

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