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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 124 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stem — to come from
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. spring — of water
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. toast — bread
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. wind — moving air
  20. snap — to click
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. lash — an eyelash

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