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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.

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: cabinet · mouse · sharp · stick · spring · lash · temple · cold

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cold — not warm
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. spring — the season
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. cold — an illness
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. spring — of water
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cold — the Cold War

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