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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.

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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: can · lash · tube · rest · craft · stick · spring · race

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. tube — a container
  3. spring — of water
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. can — a tin
  6. race — a contest
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a skill
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. can — to be able to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. can — a tin
  13. tube — the underground
  14. spring — the season
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. race — humankind
  17. rest — a break
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. rest — what's left
  20. race — the arms race
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rest — what's left
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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