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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spring — a coil
  7. can — a tin
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. can — a tin
  12. stock — goods
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cell — in biology
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. can — to be able to
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. stock — shares
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. rush — hurry

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