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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. spring — the season
  7. band — a ring
  8. fine — all right
  9. hand — help
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. spring — of water
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. band — a music group
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fine — high quality

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