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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. can — to be able to
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. spring — a coil
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spring — the season
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. kick — in football
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. kid — child
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bulb — for light
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. lash — to lash out

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