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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. staff — employees
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. scale — in music
  6. kid — child
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. staff — employees
  12. scale — size or range
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. staff — a stick
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. spring — the season
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. spring — of water
  20. stand — to bear
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spell — letters
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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