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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: pitcher · nail · mark · pop · suit · wound · lash · wake

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pop — music
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. suit — clothes
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. suit — in cards
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mark — a grade

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