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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. field — for sport
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. row — to paddle
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mine — for digging
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pass — a permit
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. field — a subject
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. row — a line
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. field — farmland
  24. pass — to spend time

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