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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. staff — a stick
  4. vault — a safe
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. stem — to come from
  7. staff — employees
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. field — for sport
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cold — an illness
  14. dip — to sink
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. lie — to recline
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cold — not warm
  21. field — farmland
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. staff — employees
  24. field — a subject

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