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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: hand · kid · wave · lash · bay · charge · stick · fork

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. charge — in control
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. charge — electricity
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. charge — a price
  21. hand — help
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  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