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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. staff — employees
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. staff — employees
  7. suit — clothes
  8. tear — from crying
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. craft — boats
  11. tear — to rip
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. craft — a skill
  15. staff — a stick
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. suit — in cards
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. roll — a cake
  21. suit — to fit
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. craft — a handicraft

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