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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. net — after costs
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. branch — a division
  11. ball — a great time
  12. spring — a coil
  13. net — in sport
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. spring — the season
  17. fine — all right
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. net — for catching
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. fine — high quality
  24. spring — of water

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