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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. craft — a skill
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ground — a position
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. squash — the sport
  12. spell — letters
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. ground — crushed
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ground — the earth
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. squash — to crush
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. craft — boats

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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