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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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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: arm · bowl · bay · season · lash · tear · spring · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. season — of the year
  3. club — for dancing
  4. spring — a coil
  5. season — in sport
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spring — of water
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. spring — the season
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. club — a group

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