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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. object — to protest
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. object — a thing
  7. roll — a cake
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. key — in music
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. drill — the tool
  12. stem — to come from
  13. object — an aim
  14. roll — a list
  15. drill — a practice
  16. game — a match
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. drill — army training
  22. game — wild animals
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. game — a kind of play

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