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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bank — for money
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. court — for sport
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. game — a match
  13. bear — the animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bank — for money
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. court — of a king
  20. bank — of a river
  21. court — of law
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bear — the animal
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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