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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cell — in biology
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. cell — a phone
  10. land — to come down
  11. bulb — for light
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. land — a country
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. squash — the sport
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. squash — to crush
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. lean — to bend
  24. land — ground

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