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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. dip — to sink
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. field — a subject
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. shower — to wash
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. field — for sport
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. field — farmland
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. shower — rain

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