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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pit — in a race
  5. fall — the season
  6. band — a music group
  7. season — in sport
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. swing — music
  11. stem — to come from
  12. swing — to play on
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. swing — in golf
  16. band — a ring
  17. mine — for digging
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. pit — a hole
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fall — to drop

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