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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: roll · craft · race · lash · spring · mark · bulb · pitcher

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. mark — a grade
  7. race — humankind
  8. spring — a coil
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. race — a contest
  15. spring — of water
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. spring — the season
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. roll — a cake
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bulb — for light
  23. roll — a list
  24. race — the arms race

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