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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: mouse · cell · lash · date · arm · deal · last · spring

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. date — the fruit
  3. cell — in biology
  4. last — finally
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. last — to go on
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. last — final
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. spring — of water
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cell — a phone
  24. deal — to handle

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