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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. mug — a cup
  9. band — a music group
  10. bank — for money
  11. mug — a face
  12. chest — of your body
  13. game — wild animals
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bank — for money
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. chest — a box
  20. bank — of a river
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mug — to rob
  24. prune — to trim

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