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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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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: wake · cell · hide · last · rest · hand · bear · lash

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. cell — a phone
  3. hand — help
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. rest — a break
  14. last — final
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wake — a trail
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cell — in biology
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rest — what's left

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