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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 120 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. file — a line of people
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bank — for money
  9. file — a document
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bat — the animal
  16. game — wild animals
  17. file — a tool
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. bank — for money
  23. prune — to trim
  24. game — a match

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