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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. court — for sport
  6. spring — of water
  7. last — final
  8. spring — a coil
  9. plane — a tool
  10. last — finally
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. shower — to wash
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. spring — the season
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. last — to go on
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. prune — to trim
  24. shower — rain

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