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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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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fall — to drop
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. current — of water
  7. fall — the season
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. spring — a coil
  17. fall — to drop
  18. plane — a tool
  19. spring — the season
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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