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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. spring — the season
  6. tube — a container
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. tube — the underground
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rash — a series
  11. spell — letters
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. field — farmland
  14. spring — of water
  15. field — a subject
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. field — for sport
  21. rash — hasty
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. row — a quarrel

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