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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: pit · lash · mark · bore · spring · charge · fall · row

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. charge — in control
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. spring — of water
  7. bore — to drill
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. spring — the season
  13. pit — a hole
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. fall — to drop
  16. row — a line
  17. bore — to tire
  18. charge — electricity
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pit — in a race
  23. charge — a price
  24. lash — an eyelash

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