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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spring — a coil
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. drill — army training
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. drill — the tool
  20. spring — of water
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. object — an aim
  24. rush — hurry

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