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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  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. row — to paddle
  2. field — a subject
  3. present — there
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. present — the time now
  12. cue — for pool
  13. spring — of water
  14. cue — a hint
  15. spring — a coil
  16. field — for sport
  17. present — a gift
  18. spring — the season
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cue — a signal
  21. field — farmland
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. lash — to lash out
  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