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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  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. spring — of water
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. fine — high quality
  4. spring — the season
  5. capital — a city
  6. spring — a coil
  7. capital — money
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. swing — music
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. swing — to play on
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. snap — to click
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fine — all right
  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