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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bark — to shout
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. court — for sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mine — for digging
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. court — of a king
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. court — of law

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