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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 116 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: rest · sharp · saw · firm · wake · bark · lash · wind

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wind — moving air
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. saw — the tool
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rest — what's left
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. firm — decided
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. firm — a company
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rest — a break
  19. firm — steady
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. wind — moving air

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