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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 · lean · bear · club · snap · season · drill · lash

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bear — the animal
  7. snap — to click
  8. bear — the animal
  9. court — of a king
  10. club — for golf
  11. drill — a practice
  12. club — a group
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. court — of law
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. drill — the tool
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. court — for sport
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. season — to add flavour

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