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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. swing — to play on
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. stem — to come from
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. tear — from crying
  18. swing — in golf
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. tear — from crying
  21. foot — a measure
  22. swing — music
  23. tear — to rip
  24. foot — the bottom

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