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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mug — a cup
  4. plane — a tool
  5. spring — of water
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fine — high quality
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. rash — a series
  11. rock — music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mug — a face
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mug — to rob
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. fine — all right
  20. rock — a stone
  21. spring — the season
  22. rash — hasty
  23. plane — an aircraft
  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