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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: lash · stick · temple · field · tube · wake · rush · snap

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. tube — the underground
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tube — a container
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. snap — to click
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rush — hurry
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. field — farmland
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wake — a trail
  24. rush — to hurry

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