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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: spring · ground · saw · can · lash · key · tear · bulb

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bulb — for light
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spring — a coil
  5. can — a tin
  6. key — the most important part
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. key — in music
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. tear — from crying
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. bulb — for light
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. ground — the earth
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. ground — crushed

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