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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. spring — of water
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. tube — a container
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. tube — the underground
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lean — thin
  24. rash — a series

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