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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 116 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: dip · mate · lash · stick · key · spring · field · wind

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spring — of water
  6. key — the most important part
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. key — in music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. key — for a lock
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. spring — a coil
  18. field — a subject
  19. wind — moving air
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mate — a partner

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