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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. band — a music group
  6. field — a subject
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. mug — a cup
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mug — to rob
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. field — for sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. field — farmland
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. mug — a face
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spring — of water
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pass — a permit
  24. wind — to turn a key

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