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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. prune — to trim
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. saw — the tool
  16. field — for sport
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mine — for digging
  20. field — farmland
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. field — a subject

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