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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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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: object · bat · club · wound · wake · lash · face · key

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. face — to point toward
  3. object — an aim
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. club — for golf
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. club — a group
  9. bat — the animal
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. object — to protest
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wound — an injury
  16. club — for dancing
  17. key — for a lock
  18. object — a thing
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wake — a trail
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. face — to confront
  24. lash — an eyelash

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