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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. last — final
  3. object — an aim
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. object — to protest
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. last — to go on
  8. craft — boats
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. craft — a skill
  17. object — a thing
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. last — finally

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