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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. prune — to trim
  4. board — to get on
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. board — a committee
  12. mug — a face
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. field — farmland
  15. wake — a trail
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. prune — to trim
  18. field — a subject
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. field — for sport

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