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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bulb — for light
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mug — a face
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a cup
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. dip — to sink
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pound — a weight

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