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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. wound — an injury
  6. spell — letters
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bulb — for light
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. hand — help
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. spell — magic
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spring — of water
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. spell — a short time

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