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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bass — low music
  4. spring — of water
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spring — a coil
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. chest — a box
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bass — the fish
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. spring — the season
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. foot — a measure
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ruler — for measuring

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