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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: row · spring · clip · lash · wake · mouse · toast · last

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. last — final
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. clip — a video
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. clip — to cut
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. last — finally
  15. row — a line
  16. toast — bread
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. last — to go on
  19. spring — the season
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. wake — a trail
  24. clip — for paper

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