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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rock — music
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rock — a stone
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. foot — a measure
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wake — a trail
  11. staff — a stick
  12. spring — the season
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. staff — employees
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. spring — of water
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. hide — to keep secret

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