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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. dip — to sink
  9. staff — employees
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. spring — the season
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. staff — employees
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bulb — for light
  22. spring — of water
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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