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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 116 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
468
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: bay · cabinet · mine · spring · hand · fan · mouse · lash

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spring — the season
  13. hand — help
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. spring — of water
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. mine — for digging

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