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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. fall — the season
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. net — after costs
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. net — in sport
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. bear — the animal
  24. net — for catching

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