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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. tube — a container
  3. rash — hasty
  4. spring — of water
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. spring — the season
  7. bank — for money
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. firm — decided
  10. tube — the underground
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. row — a line
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. scale — in music
  18. bank — for money
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. scale — size or range
  22. firm — a company
  23. bank — of a river
  24. firm — steady

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