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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: net · cabinet · lash · file · spring · game · staff · saw

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. saw — the tool
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. saw — the tool
  5. game — wild animals
  6. spring — the season
  7. staff — employees
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. net — after costs
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. staff — employees
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. file — a line of people
  16. net — in sport
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. net — for catching
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. file — a document
  21. game — a match
  22. staff — a stick
  23. spring — a coil
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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