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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spring — of water
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. charge — a price
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. hand — in cards
  14. charge — in control
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. hand — help
  17. lean — to bend
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. spring — the season

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