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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bank — for money
  5. net — after costs
  6. bound — tied together
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bound — certain
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bank — for money
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. cold — an illness
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. net — in sport
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bound — obliged
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bank — of a river
  23. net — for catching
  24. stem — to come from

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