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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. charge — electricity
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. track — a path
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. track — a song
  7. ground — a position
  8. track — to keep track
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. stem — to come from
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. charge — a price
  13. mine — for digging
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. charge — in control
  23. ground — crushed
  24. dip — to sink

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