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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — a cup
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. spring — the season
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. cap — a hat
  10. spring — a coil
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. march — music
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cap — of ice
  17. march — the month
  18. spring — of water
  19. stand — to bear
  20. mug — to rob
  21. march — the month
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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