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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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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 · mark · dip · spring · pitch · hand · lash · fall

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. field — for sport
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mark — a grade
  15. spring — of water
  16. hand — in cards
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. hand — help
  19. fall — the season
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mark — a trace
  22. field — a subject
  23. spring — the season
  24. field — farmland

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