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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. spring — the season
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. spring — of water
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. file — a document
  12. row — a line
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. spring — a coil
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a line of people

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