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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 120 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: spring · track · staff · ball · fall · lash · shower · bear

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bear — the animal
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. spring — of water
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bear — the animal
  11. track — to keep track
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. track — a path
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ball — a dance
  16. shower — rain
  17. ball — a great time
  18. fall — the season
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. fall — to drop
  23. staff — employees
  24. track — a song

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