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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cell — in biology
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — boats
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. rest — a break
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rest — what's left
  15. craft — a skill
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. stem — to come from
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. lash — an eyelash

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