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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. spring — of water
  3. drill — a practice
  4. craft — a skill
  5. spring — the season
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mug — to rob
  8. drill — the tool
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mug — a face
  11. file — a document
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. craft — boats
  14. march — the month
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. march — the month
  17. snap — to click
  18. mug — a cup
  19. drill — army training
  20. file — a tool
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. spring — a coil
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. march — music

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