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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · mine · season · lash · wind · rest · leaves · object

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. season — in sport
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. object — a thing
  10. wind — moving air
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. object — an aim
  14. rest — what's left
  15. sharp — clever
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rest — a break
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rest — what's left
  21. season — of the year
  22. object — to protest
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. season — to add flavour

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