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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. spell — a short time
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. field — for sport
  12. bore — to drill
  13. field — a subject
  14. spell — letters
  15. board — to get on
  16. lean — to bend
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. field — farmland
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bore — to tire
  22. board — a committee
  23. march — the month
  24. spell — magic

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