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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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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: spring · lash · suit · tear · club · chip · hide · craft

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. craft — boats
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tear — from crying
  8. craft — a skill
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spring — the season
  11. suit — in cards
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. suit — to fit
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — a group
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. chip — for betting
  18. suit — clothes
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. chip — to eat
  22. spring — of water
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. tear — to rip

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