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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rash — a series
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. field — a subject
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. lean — thin
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. field — for sport
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. rash — hasty
  22. board — a committee
  23. rush — hurry
  24. field — farmland

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