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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  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. pound — to hit hard
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. mate — a friend
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. mate — to breed
  9. race — the arms race
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. spring — the season
  12. craft — boats
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. race — humankind
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bass — low music
  17. spring — of water
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. race — a contest
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. craft — a skill
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wave — of the sea
  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