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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. spring — the season
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bulb — for light
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. spring — of water
  23. shower — to wash
  24. foot — part of the body

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