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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. degree — an amount
  8. file — a line of people
  9. degree — temperature
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. file — a document
  12. wound — an injury
  13. firm — a company
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bear — the animal
  16. degree — from a university
  17. prune — to trim
  18. file — a tool
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — decided
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. stand — for spectators

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