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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. present — the time now
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chip — for betting
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spring — the season
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. present — a gift
  17. spring — of water
  18. chip — to eat
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. deal — to handle
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. present — there

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