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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: march · lie · chest · season · saw · lash · field · safe

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. field — farmland
  3. chest — of your body
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. saw — the tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. chest — a box
  14. saw — the tool
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. march — the month
  18. field — for sport
  19. lie — to recline
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. march — music
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. march — the month
  24. field — a subject

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