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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. field — for sport
  7. season — in sport
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. field — a subject
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fall — the season
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. field — farmland
  20. season — of the year
  21. lean — thin
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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