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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: wake · snap · bay · pound · saw · lash · rash · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rash — a series
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. date — the fruit
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pound — a weight
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. snap — to click
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. saw — the tool
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rash — on the skin

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