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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · mine · lash · racket · wound · bear · pitch · can

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. can — a tin
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bear — the animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. mine — for digging
  17. can — to be able to
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bear — the animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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