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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. field — farmland
  3. spring — the season
  4. spell — a short time
  5. toast — bread
  6. capital — money
  7. mark — a grade
  8. spell — letters
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. bore — to tire
  11. field — a subject
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mark — a trace
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. spring — a coil
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. spell — magic
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. capital — a city
  22. bore — to drill
  23. field — for sport
  24. spring — of water

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