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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. sharp — clever
  3. ground — the earth
  4. can — to be able to
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fall — to drop
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. can — a tin
  15. fall — to drop
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ground — crushed
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. fall — the season
  21. deal — to handle
  22. can — a tin
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ground — a position

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