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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 120 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 · game · perch · ground · lash · hand · spring · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. mug — a face
  5. spring — of water
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. spring — a coil
  8. snap — to click
  9. mug — to rob
  10. ground — crushed
  11. hand — help
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mug — a cup
  15. spring — the season
  16. ground — a position
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. game — wild animals
  19. perch — the fish
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. game — a match
  24. hand — in cards

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