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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. present — the time now
  2. bass — the fish
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. field — a subject
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. present — a gift
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. field — farmland
  15. present — there
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bass — low music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. date — the fruit
  22. field — for sport
  23. dip — to sink
  24. lash — to lash out

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