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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 120 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: sharp · swing · lash · spring · game · bear · coach · wake

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bear — the animal
  9. spring — the season
  10. wake — a trail
  11. spring — a coil
  12. swing — in golf
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. swing — to play on
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. swing — music
  17. game — wild animals
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bear — the animal
  20. game — a match
  21. spring — of water
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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