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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. key — in music
  4. tube — a container
  5. spring — the season
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. season — in sport
  8. spring — of water
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. field — for sport
  12. tube — the underground
  13. field — a subject
  14. season — of the year
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — the most important part
  17. field — farmland
  18. season — to add flavour

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