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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. spring — of water
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. spring — the season
  7. kick — in football
  8. file — a document
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. file — a tool
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. saw — the tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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