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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
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: cap · lean · cell · net · spring · present · ball · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. net — after costs
  3. present — there
  4. ball — a great time
  5. lean — thin
  6. net — for catching
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. ball — a dance
  9. cell — a phone
  10. lean — to bend
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. present — a gift
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cap — a lid
  18. spring — a coil
  19. present — the time now
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cap — of ice
  22. net — in sport
  23. cap — a hat
  24. lean — to rest against

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