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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.

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: bulb · hand · pitcher · object · squash · spring · lash · fan

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. object — to protest
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. spring — a coil
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. object — an aim
  17. squash — to crush
  18. spring — of water
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. hand — help
  22. object — a thing
  23. spring — the season
  24. pitcher — a jug

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