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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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Word bank
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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. spell — letters
  6. spring — a coil
  7. squash — the sport
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spring — the season
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. spell — magic
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. spring — of water
  19. toast — bread
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — decided
  23. squash — to crush
  24. toast — the most admired

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