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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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468
Word bank
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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. mug — a cup
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. mug — a face
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. march — the month
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bulb — for light
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. perch — the fish
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bulb — for light

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