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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. band — a ring
  4. swing — in golf
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. swing — music
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. spring — of water
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. spell — magic
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spring — the season
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. spring — a coil
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. prune — to trim
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. band — a music group
  24. prune — to trim

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