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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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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 · tube · squash · spring · sharp · date · staff · rest

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. squash — to crush
  7. rest — a break
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. spring — the season
  11. rest — what's left
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. staff — a stick
  15. spring — a coil
  16. sharp — clever
  17. staff — employees
  18. spring — of water
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. tube — a container
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. staff — employees

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