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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. row — a line
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. stand — to bear
  5. row — to paddle
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. field — a subject
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. root — of a plant
  13. field — farmland
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. field — for sport
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. root — the cause
  20. rash — a series
  21. root — of a word
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. lash — to lash out

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