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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. shower — rain
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. tear — from crying
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. pound — a weight
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rock — a stone
  12. shower — to wash
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rock — music
  16. spring — the season
  17. craft — a skill
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. craft — boats

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