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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. spring — the season
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. season — in sport
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spell — a short time
  12. season — of the year
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rock — music
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. spell — letters
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rock — a stone
  19. wake — a trail
  20. spell — magic
  21. wind — moving air
  22. spring — of water
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. spring — a coil

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