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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. prune — to trim
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. prune — to trim
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. season — in sport
  16. row — a line
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. last — to go on
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. row — to paddle

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