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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lie — to recline
  5. ball — a dance
  6. net — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. spring — the season
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. net — after costs
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. net — for catching
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. season — of the year
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spring — a coil
  21. season — in sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. lash — an eyelash

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