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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bore — to tire
  3. spring — the season
  4. rest — a break
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spring — a coil
  10. current — of water
  11. cell — a phone
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. current — happening now
  14. club — a group
  15. current — electric
  16. club — for golf
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bore — to drill
  20. stock — shares
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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