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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: court · band · mate · bulb · deal · lash · spring · face

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. mate — a partner
  4. spring — of water
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. court — of a king
  13. band — a ring
  14. deal — to handle
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bulb — for light
  17. court — for sport
  18. bulb — for light
  19. court — of law
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  24. bulb — of a plant

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