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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rash — a series
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. net — after costs
  10. game — wild animals
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. lean — thin
  13. game — a match
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. stem — to come from
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rash — hasty
  19. net — for catching
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. net — in sport
  24. stem — a stem cell

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