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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pop — soda
  7. spring — a coil
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stock — shares
  11. spring — the season
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pop — music
  15. spring — of water
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pop — to visit
  18. stock — goods
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. stock — a soup base

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