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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spring — of water
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. spring — the season
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. race — humankind
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. ground — the earth
  15. race — the arms race
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. deal — to handle
  19. perch — the fish
  20. ground — crushed
  21. spring — a coil
  22. race — a contest
  23. ground — a position
  24. hide — to keep secret

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