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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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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: stand · wind · deal · lash · wake · spring · chip · field

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stand — to bear
  4. spring — a coil
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. spring — of water
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. wake — a trail
  13. spring — the season
  14. chip — to eat
  15. deal — to handle
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. field — farmland
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wake — before a funeral

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