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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bark — to shout
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. net — in sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. can — a tin
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. land — a country
  16. net — for catching
  17. land — ground
  18. net — after costs
  19. spring — the season
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. land — to come down
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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