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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. spring — of water
  4. rash — hasty
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. craft — a skill
  10. file — a line of people
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spring — the season
  14. file — a document
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. craft — boats
  24. spring — a coil

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