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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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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spring — the season
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wake — a trail
  5. spring — of water
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wind — moving air

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