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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. mark — a trace
  3. cold — an illness
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. craft — a skill
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fall — to drop
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. fall — the season
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fall — to drop
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. craft — boats
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mark — a grade
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. file — a tool
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. fan — a supporter

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