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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cap — of ice
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bat — the animal
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. prune — the fruit

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