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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stem — to come from
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. track — a path
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. track — a song
  17. shower — rain
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lean — thin
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. track — to keep track
  24. lean — to bend

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