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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 120 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: wind · rule · wake · lash · stand · wound · pitch · bulb

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. rule — a law
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rule — government
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bulb — for light
  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