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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. row — a line
  3. spring — a coil
  4. tear — from crying
  5. present — the time now
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. march — the month
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. present — there
  12. content — the amount
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. march — the month
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. march — music
  20. present — a gift
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. spring — the season
  24. content — happy

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