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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. spring — of water
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. dip — to sink
  7. net — for catching
  8. stem — to come from
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. net — after costs
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. net — in sport
  17. spring — the season
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. spring — a coil
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. lash — to lash out

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