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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. degree — from a university
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. degree — an amount
  14. perch — the fish
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rash — a series
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. degree — temperature
  23. tube — the underground
  24. perch — for a bird

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