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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 120 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. rash — hasty
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. field — farmland
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pound — a weight
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. rash — a series
  16. field — for sport
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. ball — a great time
  19. craft — a skill
  20. field — a subject
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. craft — boats
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. ball — a dance

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