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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: spring · bat · hand · deal · calf · lash · mark · mouse

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. hand — help
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. mark — a trace
  14. spring — of water
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mark — a grade
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bat — the animal
  23. spring — the season
  24. deal — to handle

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