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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lash · bulb · shower · chest · court · chair · spring · suit

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spring — of water
  5. court — for sport
  6. chest — a box
  7. court — of a king
  8. suit — clothes
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. court — of law
  12. chest — of your body
  13. suit — in cards
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. spring — a coil
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. spring — the season
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bulb — for light
  23. shower — to wash
  24. suit — to fit

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