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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 120 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bulb — for light
  7. lean — thin
  8. game — wild animals
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bulb — for light
  22. game — a match
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stem — to come from

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