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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 · lie · row · firm · date · spring · hand · rash

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. date — the fruit
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. row — a line
  6. spring — of water
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. firm — decided
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. hand — help
  12. lie — to recline
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. hand — in cards
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rash — hasty
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. firm — steady
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. firm — a company
  24. rash — a series

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