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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. spring — the season
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. spring — of water
  7. charge — electricity
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wake — a trail
  11. file — a document
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. file — a line of people
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — a price
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. file — a tool
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mark — a grade
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. trunk — of a tree

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