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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. chair — a leader
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. craft — boats
  7. face — to point toward
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. prune — to trim
  10. face — to confront
  11. rash — a series
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. prune — to trim
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. craft — a skill
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. face — part of the head
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rash — hasty

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