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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. file — a line of people
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. dip — to sink
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stem — to come from
  9. field — for sport
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. file — a tool
  14. wind — moving air
  15. field — a subject
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. file — a document
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — farmland
  24. stem — a stem cell

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