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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. field — a subject
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. snap — to click
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bulb — for light
  19. field — for sport
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bore — to drill
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bore — to tire
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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