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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: track · lash · spring · hand · game · saw · face · bore

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. spring — the season
  5. track — a song
  6. hand — in cards
  7. track — to keep track
  8. face — part of the head
  9. saw — the tool
  10. face — to confront
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bore — to drill
  13. spring — of water
  14. hand — help
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. game — a match
  17. track — a path
  18. game — wild animals
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bore — to tire
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. saw — the tool

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