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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 120 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. tube — a container
  3. row — to paddle
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. spring — the season
  6. staff — employees
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. kick — in football
  10. staff — employees
  11. rock — a stone
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. staff — a stick
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rock — music
  20. row — a line
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. tube — the underground
  24. row — a quarrel

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