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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: lash · pass · chest · mate · wind · rash · cap · wake

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pass — a permit
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. cap — a lid
  13. mate — a partner
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. chest — a box
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rash — a series
  23. mate — a friend
  24. rash — hasty

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