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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. track — to keep track
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. field — for sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. field — farmland
  11. chest — a box
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. track — a path
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. field — a subject
  17. track — a song
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. chest — of your body
  24. season — in sport

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