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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. lean — to bend
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pop — soda
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pop — music
  9. field — for sport
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pop — to visit
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. lean — thin
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. rash — a series
  16. band — a music group
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. dip — to sink
  19. band — a ring
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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