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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. spring — a coil
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. clip — a video
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. clip — to cut
  11. spring — the season
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. spring — of water
  17. bore — to tire
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wind — moving air
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bore — to drill
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wind — moving air

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