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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: spell · lash · spring · cap · club · stock · wax · ball

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cap — of ice
  5. club — for dancing
  6. spell — a short time
  7. stock — goods
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. stock — shares
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. spring — the season
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cap — a hat
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spell — magic
  19. wax — to grow
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. spell — letters

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