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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: march · firm · can · deal · lash · drill · mark · spring

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. spring — the season
  6. mark — a trace
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. march — the month
  13. spring — a coil
  14. can — to be able to
  15. firm — decided
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. deal — to handle
  18. firm — steady
  19. spring — of water
  20. mark — a grade
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. drill — army training
  24. firm — a company

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