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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 116 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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spring — the season
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. field — a subject
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bore — to drill
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rule — government
  12. spring — of water
  13. bore — to tire
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. field — for sport
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. field — farmland
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rule — a law
  24. bore — gave birth

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