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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. spell — letters
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. mate — a friend
  10. band — a ring
  11. spell — magic
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. staff — employees
  17. mate — a partner
  18. spell — a short time
  19. band — a music group
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cap — a lid
  24. lash — to lash out

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