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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. drill — the tool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cell — in biology
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cell — a phone
  10. staff — employees
  11. drill — a practice
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stem — to come from
  16. staff — employees
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. drill — army training

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