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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stem — to come from
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hand — help
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. face — to confront
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. track — a path
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. track — a song
  22. face — part of the head
  23. hand — in cards
  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