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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bear — the animal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bear — the animal
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rash — a series
  12. chip — to eat
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. last — finally
  16. chip — for betting
  17. last — final
  18. drill — a practice
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. last — to go on
  21. dip — to sink
  22. drill — army training
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chip — in a computer

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