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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: rock · roll · pass · lash · wound · game · mug · spring

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. spring — a coil
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pass — a permit
  8. game — wild animals
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mug — a face
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spring — of water
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. spring — the season
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. wound — an injury
  23. game — a match
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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