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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. rush — hurry
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. spring — the season
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. season — in sport
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. face — to point toward
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. land — a country
  17. tear — to rip
  18. spring — a coil
  19. season — of the year
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. spring — of water
  22. tear — from crying
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. snap — to click

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