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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fine — all right
  9. staff — employees
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. stem — to come from
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. capital — a city
  16. deal — to handle
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. fine — high quality
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. prune — the fruit

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