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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. lash — a whip stroke
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bound — certain
  5. swing — in golf
  6. mark — a trace
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mark — a grade
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. net — for catching
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. swing — music
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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