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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. clip — to cut
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fall — the season
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — a weight
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. scale — in music
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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