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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. game — a match
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stem — to come from
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. game — wild animals
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. mark — a trace
  11. club — for golf
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mark — a grade
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. band — a music group
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. band — a ring
  21. plane — a tool
  22. club — for dancing
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. club — a group

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