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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 · field · plane · stick · charge · shower · spring · mine

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. mine — for digging
  3. spring — a coil
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. field — a subject
  11. spring — the season
  12. charge — a price
  13. spring — of water
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. charge — in control
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. charge — electricity
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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