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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. last — to go on
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. spring — a coil
  5. court — for sport
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bore — to drill
  9. season — in sport
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bulb — for light
  12. craft — boats
  13. last — finally
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bore — to tire
  18. spring — the season
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. last — final
  24. season — of the year

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