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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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Word bank
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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fine — high quality
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. spring — of water
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cell — in biology
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fine — all right
  17. sharp — clever
  18. firm — steady
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. firm — a company
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. firm — decided

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