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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. field — farmland
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rock — music
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. squash — to crush
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bulb — for light
  22. field — a subject
  23. bulb — for light
  24. field — for sport

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