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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. spring — of water
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. mate — a partner
  8. spring — a coil
  9. last — finally
  10. wound — an injury
  11. last — final
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mate — a friend
  16. last — to go on
  17. mate — to breed
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. stand — to bear
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spring — the season
  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