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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. key — for a lock
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. field — a subject
  7. bulb — for light
  8. field — farmland
  9. spring — the season
  10. key — in music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. spring — of water
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bulb — for light
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. field — for sport
  19. spring — a coil
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. dip — to sink
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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