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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. suit — to fit
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. suit — clothes
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. chair — a leader
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wax — to grow
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. suit — in cards
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. saw — the tool
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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