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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 120 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: field · spring · pitcher · ground · dip · rush · lash · mug

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. spring — of water
  5. dip — to sink
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. field — farmland
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mug — a cup
  13. field — for sport
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spring — the season
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a face
  19. field — a subject
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. ground — a position
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. ground — crushed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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