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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. saw — the tool
  12. plane — a tool
  13. stem — to come from
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bat — the animal
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. lash — an eyelash

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