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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.

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: lash · fork · wake · chair · spring · sharp · mouse · mug

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mug — a cup
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. fork — in a road
  10. chair — a leader
  11. spring — of water
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wake — a trail
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mug — a face
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mug — to rob
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. lash — to lash out

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