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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. root — of a word
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. prune — to trim
  13. root — the cause
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. prune — to trim
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fine — all right
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. root — of a plant

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