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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bat — the animal
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. club — for dancing
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. hand — in cards
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. club — for golf
  20. spring — of water
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bore — to drill
  24. spring — the season

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