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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bulb — for light
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bulb — for light
  10. ball — a dance
  11. stem — to come from
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rash — a series
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. shower — rain
  20. bat — the animal
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pitcher — a jug

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