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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: wave · wake · ground · kick · dip · prune · lash · straw

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. ground — a position
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. kick — in football
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. dip — to sink
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wake — a trail
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. kick — with a leg

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