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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. board — a committee
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. capital — a city
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. root — of a plant
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. capital — money
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. mine — for digging
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. root — the cause
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. root — of a word

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