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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: cue · cell · net · spring · field · lash · wind · can

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. field — for sport
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. spring — a coil
  10. net — in sport
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cue — a hint
  13. field — a subject
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cue — a signal
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. can — a tin
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. net — for catching
  20. field — farmland
  21. net — after costs
  22. spring — of water
  23. can — a tin
  24. cue — for pool

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