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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. club — for dancing
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. field — farmland
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wake — a trail
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bulb — for light
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. field — a subject
  16. club — a group
  17. deal — to handle
  18. field — for sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. club — for golf
  23. vault — a safe
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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