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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. press — to push
  5. craft — a skill
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. chest — of your body
  10. craft — boats
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. chest — a box
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. press — a publisher
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. press — newspapers

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