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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rest — a break
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cap — of ice
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — to lash out

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