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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bowl · straw · roll · lash · spring · race · charge · season

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. charge — electricity
  4. spring — a coil
  5. season — of the year
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. charge — a price
  10. race — the arms race
  11. charge — in control
  12. spring — the season
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. roll — a cake
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. roll — a list
  19. spring — of water
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. season — in sport

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