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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. net — after costs
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. land — ground
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. net — for catching
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. prune — to trim
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. net — in sport
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. rest — a break
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rest — what's left
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lie — to recline

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