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

Word bank: wind · snap · bulb · lash · ruler · pass · season · chest

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pass — a permit
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bulb — for light
  5. chest — a box
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bulb — for light
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. wind — moving air

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