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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: bat · spring · bowl · leaves · cap · lash · straw · temple

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cap — a hat
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bat — the animal
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. spring — a coil
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bat — in an idiom

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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