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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. foot — a measure
  3. firm — a company
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. shower — to wash
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. plane — a tool
  12. branch — a division
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. spring — of water
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. firm — steady
  19. spring — the season
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. firm — decided
  24. lash — an eyelash

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