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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lash · hide · land · spring · season · mine

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. land — to come down
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. land — ground
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. season — in sport
  11. spring — of water
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. spring — the season
  15. season — of the year
  16. land — a country
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. mine — for digging

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