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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. kick — in football
  5. rush — hurry
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bore — to drill
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. spell — letters
  16. mine — for digging
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bore — to tire
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. stem — to come from
  24. file — a line of people

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