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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 124 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rule — a law
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. rash — hasty
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. vault — a safe
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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