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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 124 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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — of water
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. capital — a city
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. capital — money

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