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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 116 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: lash · field · wake · season · snap · leaves · cabinet · race

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. field — for sport
  4. race — a contest
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. field — a subject
  8. wake — a trail
  9. season — of the year
  10. race — humankind
  11. field — farmland
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. season — in sport
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. snap — to click

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