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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cell — in biology
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bound — tied together
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bound — certain
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. firm — decided
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mine — for digging
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — a gift
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. firm — a company
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. present — there
  23. firm — steady
  24. cell — in a prison

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