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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. net — for catching
  3. row — a line
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. row — to paddle
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cold — not warm
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cold — an illness
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. net — in sport
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — decided
  19. bulb — for light
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. firm — a company
  22. net — after costs
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. dip — to sink

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