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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. perch — the fish
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. deal — to handle
  6. spring — a coil
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. board — to get on
  10. stock — shares
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. spring — the season
  13. swing — in golf
  14. plane — a tool
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. swing — music
  19. stock — goods
  20. board — a committee
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. swing — to play on
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. board — a flat piece

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