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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. craft — boats
  5. field — for sport
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. field — a subject
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. field — farmland
  10. craft — a skill
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. row — to paddle
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bark — of a tree

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