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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. present — a gift
  7. spring — of water
  8. present — there
  9. rash — a series
  10. spring — the season
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rock — music
  19. present — the time now
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rock — a stone

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