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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: stick · key · bat · fall · lash · fan · wave · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. key — the most important part
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mug — a cup
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mug — to rob
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fall — the season
  17. bat — the animal
  18. key — in music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. key — for a lock
  24. lash — an eyelash

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