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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 120 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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bat — the animal
  3. spring — of water
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. plane — a tool
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. key — in music
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. key — the most important part
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. spring — the season
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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