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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · lash · dip · cabinet · snap · ground · hand · lie

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. ground — a position
  3. dip — to sink
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. snap — to click
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. field — farmland
  8. hand — help
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. ground — the earth
  15. field — a subject
  16. ground — crushed
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. field — for sport
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. hand — in cards

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