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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 · chip · tear · cue · racket · arm · lash · ball

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cue — a signal
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spring — of water
  10. cue — for pool
  11. tear — to rip
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ball — a great time
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spring — a coil
  20. ball — a dance
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. spring — the season

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