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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 120 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: game · spring · fall · lash · tube · rash · calf · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. rash — a series
  4. fall — to drop
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. game — wild animals
  7. spring — the season
  8. spell — letters
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. game — a match
  11. tube — the underground
  12. spring — of water
  13. fall — the season
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spring — a coil
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. tube — a container
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — on the skin

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