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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. rock — music
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. shower — rain
  7. craft — boats
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. shower — to wash
  12. cell — a phone
  13. craft — a skill
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bound — certain
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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