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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bore — to tire
  4. field — a subject
  5. suit — to fit
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. field — for sport
  8. scale — in music
  9. cell — a phone
  10. field — farmland
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bore — to drill
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. suit — in cards
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cell — in biology
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rash — a series
  24. bulb — of a plant

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