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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. squash — to crush
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. staff — a stick
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. spring — the season
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rash — a series
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stem — to come from
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. spring — of water
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rash — hasty
  19. face — part of the head
  20. toast — bread
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. lash — to lash out

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