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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. net — after costs
  4. bat — the animal
  5. net — for catching
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bank — for money
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bank — for money
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — for light
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bank — of a river
  22. net — in sport
  23. bulb — for light
  24. hand — help

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