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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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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: mug · spring · march · saw · fan · straw · spell · lash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. spring — of water
  3. march — the month
  4. mug — to rob
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mug — a face
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. march — music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. spell — letters
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. spell — magic
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. spring — the season
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spring — a coil
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. march — the month
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mug — a cup

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