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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · wake · last · band · chip · fan · pit · lash

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wake — a trail
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. last — to go on
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. band — a music group
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. band — a ring
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chip — for betting
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. band — a rubber band

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