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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 116 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cold — not warm
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mate — a friend
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mate — a partner
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. spring — of water
  24. cabinet — ministers

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