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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. charge — electricity
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. last — final
  6. degree — temperature
  7. last — finally
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. degree — from a university
  14. last — to go on
  15. wound — an injury
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. degree — an amount
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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