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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 120 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. spring — a coil
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. track — a song
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. cell — a phone
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. swing — in golf
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. track — a path
  18. mouse — the animal

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