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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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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: wound · swing · fork · calf · lash · fall · wake · pop

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. fork — in a road
  4. swing — to play on
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wound — an injury
  8. swing — music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. swing — in golf
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pop — soda
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pop — music
  16. fall — the season
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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