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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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. nail — for a hammer
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bulb — for light
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rock — music
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. rock — a stone
  16. squash — the sport
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bulb — for light

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