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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: stick · pitcher · bowl · wave · last · lash · mine · row

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. row — a line
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. last — final
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. last — finally
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bowl — a dish

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