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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 120 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: present · sharp · kick · lash · tube · stick · wave · row

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. row — a line
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — there
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. kick — in football
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — the underground
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. sharp — clever

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