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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: lash · wake · row · rock · kick · land · fan · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. row — a line
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — to come down
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wake — a trail
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. toast — bread
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. land — a country
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. land — ground
  24. rock — music

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