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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 · fan · drill · lash · rest · tube · dip · saw

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rest — what's left
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. tube — the underground
  5. dip — to sink
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. drill — the tool
  8. spring — the season
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rest — what's left
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. tube — a container
  19. drill — a practice
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rest — a break

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