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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: lash · mate · saw · last · nail · pop · spring · perch

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pop — music
  3. last — final
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mate — a partner
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spring — a coil
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mate — a friend
  14. spring — the season
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pop — to visit
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pop — soda
  19. mate — to breed
  20. saw — the tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spring — of water
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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