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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fine — high quality
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. spring — a coil
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fine — all right
  11. game — wild animals
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. spring — the season
  17. tear — to rip
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — boats
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. craft — a skill
  23. game — a match
  24. fine — a penalty

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