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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. object — an aim
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. land — a country
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. clip — to cut
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. land — ground
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lean — thin
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. dip — to sink
  14. plane — a tool
  15. lean — to bend
  16. object — to protest
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. land — to come down
  19. clip — for paper
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. clip — a video
  22. shower — to wash
  23. object — a thing
  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