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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. craft — a skill
  9. degree — temperature
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. degree — an amount
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. degree — from a university
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cabinet — ministers

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