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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. toast — bread
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. spring — of water
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. stock — shares
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stock — goods
  16. chest — a box
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. dip — to sink
  19. current — of water
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chest — of your body

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