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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 120 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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. vault — a safe
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. spring — the season
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. plane — a tool
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. spring — a coil
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. spell — magic
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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