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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: wake · toast · wound · mug · bulb · coach · land · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. land — a country
  3. mug — a face
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. toast — bread
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mug — to rob
  17. land — ground
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. land — to come down

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