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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. land — ground
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. land — to come down
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. land — a country
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rest — a break
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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