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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rest — a break
  8. scale — in music
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. field — farmland
  11. bear — the animal
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. field — a subject
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rest — what's left
  18. field — for sport
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. plane — a tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bear — to put up with

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