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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: leaves · hand · drill · jam · fall · wake · ground · lash

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. fall — to drop
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. ground — a position
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. drill — army training
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. ground — crushed
  13. drill — a practice
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. drill — the tool
  17. hand — in cards
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. fall — the season
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. ground — the earth
  24. fall — to drop

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