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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 120 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: wound · lean · wake · shower · row · ground · lash · rock

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. row — a line
  9. ground — the earth
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rock — music
  18. row — to paddle
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. ground — crushed
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — thin

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