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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. fine — all right
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bank — for money
  7. board — to get on
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bank — of a river
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bank — for money
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rule — government
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stem — to come from
  23. cold — not warm
  24. board — a committee

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