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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · stick · spring · saw · fan · wake · staff · swing

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. staff — employees
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. swing — in golf
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. staff — employees
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. staff — a stick
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. spring — the season
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. swing — to play on
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. swing — music

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