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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. last — finally
  3. land — a country
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stem — to come from
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. land — to come down
  10. swing — to play on
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. swing — in golf
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. last — to go on
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. tear — from crying
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. last — final
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. swing — music
  23. land — ground
  24. calf — a young animal

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