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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: lash · wound · bowl · spell · club · nail · sharp · spring

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. spell — magic
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. spell — letters
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spell — a short time
  14. club — for golf
  15. wound — an injury
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. club — a group
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — of water
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. club — for dancing
  23. sharp — clever
  24. spring — a coil

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