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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.

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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. net — in sport
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. tube — a container
  6. march — music
  7. lean — thin
  8. net — for catching
  9. current — of water
  10. net — after costs
  11. stem — to come from
  12. march — the month
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. tube — the underground
  17. march — the month
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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