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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 120 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. snap — to click
  4. spring — of water
  5. fall — to drop
  6. march — the month
  7. bulb — for light
  8. march — the month
  9. rule — a law
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. race — a contest
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fall — to drop
  14. march — music
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. fall — the season
  22. rule — government
  23. spring — a coil
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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