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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. rock — music
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. staff — employees
  6. tear — from crying
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — a group
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rock — a stone
  15. tear — to rip
  16. club — for golf
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. tear — from crying

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