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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. spring — the season
  4. can — to be able to
  5. mate — to breed
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. press — a publisher
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. capital — a city
  11. press — to push
  12. spring — a coil
  13. rash — a series
  14. mate — a partner
  15. press — newspapers
  16. can — a tin
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. current — electric
  19. mate — a friend
  20. current — happening now
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. spring — of water
  24. current — of water

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