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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mine — for digging
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. spell — a short time
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. stem — to come from
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. perch — the fish
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. hand — help
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hand — in cards
  24. lie — to recline

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