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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 120 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. cue — a hint
  3. plane — a tool
  4. field — for sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. object — to protest
  14. cue — for pool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. object — an aim
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. plane — an aircraft

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