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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: ball · date · stand · fan · spring · squash · lash · snap

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. squash — the sport
  3. snap — to click
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. ball — a great time
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. ball — a dance
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. spring — of water
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stand — to bear
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spring — the season
  23. squash — to crush
  24. date — the fruit

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