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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fork — in a road
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. stem — to come from
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bass — low music
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bass — the fish
  24. mine — an explosive

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