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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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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 · fall · wake · club · saw · deal · net · wind

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. saw — the tool
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. fall — to drop
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. net — after costs
  10. wind — moving air
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wake — a trail
  15. fall — the season
  16. club — for dancing
  17. net — in sport
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. club — a group
  21. fall — to drop
  22. net — for catching
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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