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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: bat · stick · can · wake · lash · temple · fall · present

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. can — a tin
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. present — there
  7. wake — a trail
  8. present — the time now
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. fall — the season
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bat — the animal
  21. can — a tin
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. present — a gift

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