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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. row — to paddle
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — a skill
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. tear — from crying
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mug — to rob
  16. content — happy
  17. row — a line
  18. craft — boats
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bass — low music
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — a cup
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. content — the amount

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