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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: wound · march · safe · swing · wake · track · stem · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. track — to keep track
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. track — a song
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. swing — in golf
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. track — a path
  14. wound — an injury
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. march — the month
  23. swing — music
  24. wake — a trail

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